Abstract

In this chapter, Hannah Strømmen examines the uses of texts in the practices of far-right populism, specifically the uses of the sacred scriptures of Muslims and Christians. Identifying patterns of scripture-practice is promising because it demonstrates the way different incarnations of the far right utilize shared strategies, particularly when it comes to the role Christianity and Islam play in contemporary populism in Western Europe. Strømmen argues that there are three main traits to far-right populist scripture-practices: the shoring up of the ‘enemy,’ the reinforcement of us and them into different ‘scripture-cultures,’ and a focus on scriptures as symbols and material artefacts rather than as texts to be read and interpreted. Ultimately, Strømmen suggests that further work is necessary in what she calls ‘political scripture research’ and ‘lived scripture.’