How the New Right gained traction

A PhD dissertation on the New Right, covering also the impact of Traditionalism, has just been successfully defended at Aarhus University. The dissertation was by Jacob Christiansen Senholt, entitled “Identity Politics of the European New Right: Inspirations, Ideas and Influence.”

In the dissertation, Senholt distinguishes three main inspirations: the “Counter-Enlightenment” from Herder onwards, the Conservative Revolution from Spengler onwards, and Traditionalism from Guénon onwards. Even if New Right thinkers sometimes criticize Traditionalism and try to distance themselves from it, its impact still remains clear.

For ideas, Senholt stresses especially “metapolitics,” the idea that politics can be changed by changing the way issues are conceived and discussed.

For influence, Senholt notes that the New Right is suddenly important and everywhere. This, he thinks, is because circumstances have changed, not because the New Right has. The New Right has actually been saying much the same thing for thirty years, without having much impact. Now, suddenly, issues relating to identity, to migration and globalization, have given it traction.

A fine dissertation. The supervisors were Ole Morsing and Mark Sedgwick.