Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2022
Abstract
This study explores the class origins of right-wing populism among the Czech working class and highlights the mobilising power of popular music in this context. My focus is on Ortel, a "nationalist rock" band active in the 2010s.
Ortel purported to speak to "ordinary people" as opposed to elites, and its fan base still consists largely of working-class people. This study draws on articles from Czech mainstream media outlets as well as other more specialist material.
It historicises the popularity of Ortel, which arose from the strategic normalisation of the Far Right and its positions. The latter were cleansed of the overt racism of the 1990s during the post-2008 economic crises.