Rechts-nationalisme en de ‘huid van de natie’. Hoe politieke doctrines inwerken op emoties en lichamelijke gewoontes

This essay examines Sara Ahmed’s work in the context of right-wing nationalism, focusing on her analysis of the ‘sociality of emotions’ and the ‘affective economy of hatred’. It explores how right-wing nationalist doctrines make use of narratives that frame ‘illegal migrants’ as threats and anticipate specific affective responses towards migrants. Drawing on Ahmed’s critical phenomenological work, the essay demonstrates that these political doctrines have a bodily dimension. On one hand, the ‘national body’ is repeatedly depicted as being under threat due to the arrival of ‘illegal migrants’. On the other hand, Ahmed’s insights demonstrate how emotional economies can become part of daily interactions, bodily habits, and affective responses. In this way, the essay shows a dangerous aspect of right-wing nationalist doctrines: when an ideology becomes the background for daily interactions, the framework itself is no longer questioned. It can become a habit to dehumanise certain people and see their presence as a problem.