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Culture wars in Belgium?: The (meta)political implications of far right discourse on cultural warfare for activists and CSO’s in Flanders

par Zienkowski, Jan
Référence 73rd ICA Conference (25-29 May 2023: Toronto)
Publication Non publié, 2023-05-28

Communication à un colloque

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Résumé :

This paper investigates how far right actors using the term ‘cultural warfare’ imagine activists and CSO’s. Drawing on post-foundational discourse theory, it presents a critical discourse study of articles published in Flemish nationalist online media, focusing on their metapolitical implications. In metapolitical conflict, imaginaries of what politics is and should be clash. Activism is understood as a form of political engagement where actors (re)imagine, (re)articulate and (re-)negotiate social relationships and different forms of capital, through imagined collective action. Flemish nationalist culture war discourse is often articulated with(in) controversies over activist and/or CSO practices. It problematizes subsidies for artistic and minority CSO’s, the ideological neutrality of higher education, and the school strikes of Youth for Climate. This discourse is articualted with(in) political imaginaries delegitimizing activist and CSO practices. This case study exemplifies the need for scholars of media and activism to pay attention to the metapolitical dimension of the practices they investigate.