Presented by Professor Jeffrey Haynes, this talk focuses on right-wing nationalism, populism, and religion, with an emphasis on Australia, India, Italy, Turkey, and the USA.

Although not the same thing, nationalism and populism are said to be closely linked. Nationalists, like populists, may claim that there is but one ‘true religion’ – that is, their own and their followers’ – which helps focus their nationalist vision. They bring religion and culture into their arguments to encourage political changes in their favour. Nationalists may identify and target those they see as ‘enemies of the people’, said to be a serious threat to fulfilment of a nationalist future free from culturally ‘alien’ influences. While linking nationalism with religion is not new, what is more novel is the connecting of religion, nationalism, and populism. The aim of this talk is to explore these issues theoretically, conceptually, and empirically.

Biography

Jeffrey Haynes is Emeritus Professor of Politics at London Metropolitan University, UK. His areas of expertise are religion and international relations, religion and politics, democracy and democratisation, development studies, and comparative politics and globalisation. He is the author or editor of 55 books. The most recent is: Trump and the Politics of Neo-Nationalism. The Christian Right and Secular Nationalism in America, London: Routledge, 2021. Haynes received the International Studies Association Religion and International Relations Section’s Distinguished Scholar Award in 2016. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Democratization, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Religion and series editor of the book series, 'Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics'.