In a lecture given in 1954, Hannah Arendt warned that both “Americanistic” attitudes in the US, such as America First ideologies, and “Anti-American Europeanism” in post-war Europe, could be an imminent danger to emerging US-European relations (Arendt, “Dream and Nightmare,” Essays in Understanding, 1954, p. 409). Her warnings seem to ring true again today, as right-wing populist parties and nationalism are on the rise in the US, in Europe and in other parts of the world. The talk will explore how frames of “othering” have characterized right-wing populism and how this re-framing of attitudes and values has affected transatlantic relations. While some argue that there is a new transatlantic rapprochement of the right emerging, other studies have found that the US elections served as an “external shock” and divisive moment separating US and European populists even more.
This talk is based in part on a book project on Europe and the US: Community or Clash of Values and Norms?
