nationalism

Analysis of the ideological and political symmetries between the period 1924 – 1933 and the first decade of 21st century in Bulgaria. The article describes the youth segment in the far-right movements Kubrat, National Protection, Panbulgarian union „Father Paisij“, UBNL and the Union of Fighters for Development of the Bulgarian, „Defender“. Additionally, the article clarifies the youth profile of fascist and national-socialist ideas and practices.In the contemporary post-communist context there is a consolidation of neo-Nazi youth movements represented by skinheads such as: Bulgarian National Union, „Guardian“, Lukov march, Spisarevski march, the adolescent wing of VMRO. Public actions of members of the above mentioned movements are directed against religious and ethnical minorities; moreover, they are characterized with high level of intolerance, xenophobia and racism.

The article has a double objective: to analyze the campaign of the nationalist candidate in the presidential election 2016, as well as populist-nationalist discourses and messages of non-nationalist candidates. It is structured in three parts. The first offers a periodization of the nationalist vote and analyzes the campaign as a happening of Krassimir Karakachanov, the candidate of the United Patriots. The second introduces the symbolic cartography of the nationalist campaigns, introducing a diachronic perspective and comparing the messages and images of the presidential campaigns of the two sympathetic nationalist candidates - Volen Siderov and Krassimir Karakachanov. The third part introduces a synchronic comparative perspective by identifying nationalist messages of non-nationalist candidates. The main thesis and conclusion of the analysis is the tendency of hegemonization of the nationalist discourse, crossing the classical ideological cleavages.