2019/04/03 by Vassilis Petsinis · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Populism, Right-Wing Movements #Eastern European Communism and Reforms #European Politics and Security
paper · doi:10.1080/13537113.2019.1602374
openalex publication_date 2019/04/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/18
This case study focuses on Estonia and introduces the populist and radical right-wing party of EKRE (Eesti Konservatiivne Rahvaerakond/Estonian Conservative People’s Party). It demonstrates that EKRE’s employment of identity politics over the refugee question and immigration is embedded inside the pre-existing frame of Estonian restoration and “decolonization” nationalism. The party’s campaign over the refugee question and immigration interlinks the collective memories of “colonization” under the Soviets with the collective anxieties of becoming “colonized” again by others in the future. This sociopsychological strategy has facilitated EKRE in augmenting its public appeal and consolidating its status as a potent actor in Estonian politics.