Popular artists against the extreme right. A discourse-theoretical analysis of the discursive struggle between the Vlaams Belang and the 0110 concerts ‘for tolerance’ in Belgium

The extreme right has mainly been studied from the perspective of political sciences. Most research departs from a demand/supply perspective on politics and focuses on factors explaining the electoral success of extreme right parties. This work presents detailed (often quantitative) empirical analysis of specific extreme right parties' electoral results, but is less developed theoretically and tends to give primacy to demand factors (see Eatwell 2003). It also tends to study extreme right discourse and ideology less systematically. This leaves room for a more theoretically informed account of and systematic empirical research into extreme right ideology and discourse.

This paper considers the extreme right as a hegemonic project aimed at re-ordering society. It draws on Laclau and Mouffe's (1985) discourse theory, and on Laclau's (1977, 2005, 2005b) theory of populism more specifically in scrutinizing the discursive strategies deployed by the extreme right. It argues that treating the extreme right as a populist hegemonic project also implies looking beyond the realm of politics stricto sensu, and extending the analysis to the construction of 'the people' in different realms, including the realm of popular culture.