Religious Nationalism and Right-Wing Populism — Trumpism and Beyond by Philip Gorski

We are very happy to announce the next seminar on Monday 12 December, 4PM-6PM.  

Religious Nationalism and Right-Wing Populism — Trumpism and Beyond by Philip Gorski 
Philip S. Gorski (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley 1996) is a comparative-historical sociologist with strong interests in theory and methods and in modern and early modern Europe. His empirical work focuses on topics such as state-formation, nationalism, revolution, economic development and secularization with particular attention to the interaction of religion and politics. Other current interests include the philosophy and methodology of the social sciences and the nature and role of rationality in social life. Among his recent publications are The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy. New York: Oxford University Press from this year & American Covenant: A History of Civil Religion from the Puritans to the Present from 2017.

Dr. Gorski will present a chapter of a forthcoming book, abstract below:
An enduring puzzle around Donald Trump’s 2016 electoral success was his ability to mobilize an extraordinarily high level of support among White Christian voters, White evangelical voters in particular. This chapter offers a new conceptual framework for understanding Trump’s enduring evangelical support: White Christian nationalism. White Christian nationalism might be viewed as part of a broader global trend of religious nationalism cultivated by right-wing populist leaders. However, White Christian nationalism also proves unique in its ability to connect specific constructions of race, religion, and nation through narrative themes, including blood tropes, apocalyptic narratives, persecution/victimization narratives, and messianic expectations. Understanding how Trumpism effectively secularized the metaphors at the heart of White Christian nationalism offers key insights into Trump’s success among White evangelical Christians, and for understanding contemporary right-populist politics and political theology.

We are meeting at 16:00 (Dutch time) at Radboud University. The room and zoomlinks have been sent via our email list. If you would like to receive it (again), please email [email protected].