New educational horizons following the rise of the “new far right” in Europe: A documentary analysis

Abstract

Due to the emergence of the “new far right” in Europe, and the consolidation of its parliamentary representation in European and national instances of these parties, this paper uses documentary analysis to examine the education policy proposals of four political organizations: Alternative for Germany (Germany), National Association (France), Northern League (Italy) and VOX (Spain). After identifying the common elements of these political parties, in order to systematize and collect the data, an analysis matrix was designed based on an exhaustive bibliographic review of the issue. The results reflect some lines of convergence between “new far-right” organizations in relation to nationalism, the role of education in the society, and xenophobic and anti-immigration speech. Thus, the results show the four parties converge on the following themes: (i) an emphasis on the role of the education system to perpetuate and legitimize the hegemonic culture and reinforce the national identity of its citizens; and (ii) a neutral discourse, however, with a hidden yet marked anti-immigrant, specifically anti-Muslim, character, legitimized by arguments defending national security, the image of the traditional family, the equity of gender, the secular school, and the guarantee of national freedoms. From these results, it can be concluded that a common political agenda in education exists between the parties of the “new far-right” in Europe, which entails a serious threat for historically vulnerable sectors, as well as immigrant populations.