Gregson, William2019-09-262019-09-262019-09-20Gregson, W. (2019). Understanding the Rise of Nationalist Populism Through an Examination of Structuralism and Humanism in Marxist Theory. Final report and reflection. Program for Undergaduate Research Experience (PURE), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta. 1-6.http://hdl.handle.net/1880/111082https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/37143The current rise of right-wing populism (Trump, Brexit, Le Pen, etc.), characterized largely by xenophobia, anti-establishment rhetoric and a distrust in globalization, has challenged many of the basic tenets of the liberal order, blaming liberalism for such things as declining living conditions, loss of identity, income inequality, and so on. Paradoxically, this right-wing movement has correctly identified symptoms of pertinent crises without identifying the root causes, inaccurately blaming immigration for job loss for instance. This project demonstrates how the origins of this movement can be explained utilizing a Marxian lens, highlighting how this political trend arose out of contradictions in the liberal order. In doing so, this project delves into the fundamental structuralist-humanist debate within Marxist theory—premised on a supposed incompatibility between the early and late Marx—and concluded that a dissolution of the debate through a re-engagement with Marx’s works lends to a more comprehensive analysis of populist nationalism.engPopulismNationalismMarxismLiberal democracyreport