Barbarians at the Gate: Religious Rhetoric and Nativist Parties in Central Europe

The legacy of fascism has challenged far-right expansion in Central Europe, yet nativist parties have found a workaround without compromising exclusionary ethno-nationalist agendas. Barbarians at the Gate explores the under-studied role that religion plays in the promotion of the ethno-nationalist agendas currently chipping away at liberal democratic protections. The book identifies a democratic erosion grounded in a Christian Nationalist concept of the ethno-nation fused with Christianity. Through a combination of interviews, new surveys with Austrian and German voters, and an original dataset of nativist and radical-right party rhetoric, it demonstrates how nativist parties use religion as a vehicle for democratic erosion, even in nations long-seen as bastions of democracy. Especially in Germany, where the hurdles to a far-right comeback are high, understanding how nativist parties use religious framing to sidestep the legacies of Nazism while still promoting ethno-nationalism is critical.