Memorialization Politics and Support for the Far Right

• In Event: Reconciliation in the Aftermath of Violent Conflict

Abstract

Memorialization politics affect a variety of political behaviors and attitudes. In Europe, scholars have found that transitional justice policies have led to electoral payoffs and costs for the far right. However, studies connecting memorialization, transitional justice attitudes, and far right voting behavior often examine one type of memorialization in isolation. Rather than being in conflict, existing findings may be the product of differential reactions to distinct policies. We investigate this possibility by comparing reactions to several memorialization policies. We explore two dimensions of memorialization: its policy realm (infrastructural/educational) and target (victims/perpetrators). We argue that memorialization politics relating to education and targeting the perpetrators of past atrocities are most likely to provoke a reactive backlash favorable to the far right. We test this theory with an original survey experiment in Spain. Our findings shed light on how discrete attempts at post-authoritarian reconciliation can provoke differential reactions.

Author

• Ethan vanderWilden, University of Wisconsin - Madison