Can politics in a globalized world be patriotic or is patriotism in politics always equal to nationalism? (PDF)

Case Study from the year 2018 in the subject Psychology - Social Psychology, grade: 70 - Distinction, Bournemouth University, language: English, abstract: In a globalized world and a network society, people are connected beyond the borders of their home country. The role of the nation state is losing its significance and most people are becoming more global-minded. Therefore, it is interesting to explore to what degree politics in a globalized world can be patriotic without discriminating others or expressing nationalistic and xenophobic views. While most people are encouraging global integration and respect different cultures melting together, some people feel differently. With the rise of globalization and cultures developing beyond restricted geographic borders, populist movements have also risen. This is for example visible in Europe. The European Union has been growing over the past decades, but so have nationalistic parties. This development is increasingly polarizing European politics and splitting society.

This essay aims to give an insight on the formation of populist parties from a psychosocial perspective. The psychosocial approach is combining the complexity of a psychological and sociological analysis.

"Psychosocial research draws inspiration from a range of sources including sociology, psychoanalysis, critical psychology, critical theory, post-structuralism, process philosophy, feminism, post-colonial theory, queer theory and affect theory" (Association for Psychosocial Studies 2018).

By analyzing how an emotion such as hatred is triggered and influences a person's perception, one aspect of the rise of populist parties can be explained. Another important aspect of understanding the rise of populist parties in Europe is the sociological aspect. It explains what happens when multiple individuals get together who all feel the same way about something.

The findings of the psychosocial analysis will then be applied to a political context: Can politics in a globalized world be patriotic or is patriotism in politics always equal to nationalism?

To answer this research question, a case study on the German political party "Alternative for Germany" will be conducted. In this case study, posters of the party will be analyzed to point out the difference between the portrayed and the subliminal meaning. By pointing out how this party uses patriotic images to promote nationalistic views, it will be possible to provide a better understanding of the problem and to find an answer to the research question.