Challenging Europe's Memory Regime: The Far Right's Narratives on Russia in The Shadow of War

Öz

The European Union's 'never again' rhetoric, rooted in historical memory, has entered a crisis with the war in Ukraine; the EU's vision of unity based on its values and shared historical narrative has been shattered. The research question of this article is how far-right political actors in Europe have responded to the EU's official memory and security narrative towards Russia and how they have shaped their alternative historical narratives about Russia. This article aims to reveal the current effects of memory-based security concerns in European politics. In this context, Alternative for Germany (AfD), Rassemblement National (RN), and the Hungarian Civic Alliance (Fidesz) were selected for analysis. Data was collected from the parties' official websites, parliamentary transcripts, the official social media accounts of political parties and party leaders, the official YouTube channels of party leaders, and published interviews and media statements. The article employs the concept of mnemonic security to analyze how political actors link their historical narratives to the construction of identity and security. Finally, the study's findings are discussed in relation to the future political implications of memory security.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• memory security
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Far Right
• narrative
• European Union

Challenging Europe's Memory Regime: The Far Right's Narratives on Russia in The Shadow of War

Öz

Avrupa Birliği (AB) için tarihsel hafızaya dayanan bir daha asla savaş söylemi, Ukrayna savaşı ile bir krize girmiş; AB, kendi değerlerine ve ortak tarihi anlatısına dayalı birlik vizyonu parçalanmıştır. Makalenin araştırma sorusu, AB’nin Rusya'ya yönelik resmi hafıza/güvenlik anlatısına karşı Avrupa’daki aşırı sağ siyaset aktörlerinin nasıl tepki verdiği ve Rusya'ya dair kendi alternatif tarihi anlatılarını nasıl şekillendirdiğidir. Makalenin amacı, Avrupa siyasetinde hafıza temelli güvenlik kaygılarının güncel etkilerini ortaya koymaktır. Bu bağlamda, Alternative for Germany (Afd), Rassemblement National (RN) ve Hungarian Civic Alliance (Fidesz) analiz için seçilmiştir. Veriler partilerin resmî web sitelerinden, parlamento tutanaklarından, siyasi partilerin ve parti liderlerinin resmi sosyal medya hesaplarından, parti liderlerinin resmi YouTube kanallarından ve yayınlanmış röportaj ve medya açıklamalarından toplanmıştır. Makalede, hafıza güvenliği kavramını kullanarak, siyasi aktörlerin tarih anlatıları ile kimlik/güvenlik inşasını nasıl bağlantılandırdıklarını analiz edilmiştir. Son olarak, çalışmanın bulguları ışığında, Hafıza güvenliğinin gelecekteki siyasi yansımaları tartışılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• hafıza güvenliği
• Rusya-Ukrayna Savaşı
• Aşırı Sağ
• anlatı
• Avrupa Birliği

Kaynakça

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