College

Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences

Date of Last Revision

2026-06-04 05:08:59

Major

Political Science

Honors Course

Research Project

Number of Credits

4

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Date of Expected Graduation

Spring 2026

Abstract

Over the last decade or two, the world has witnessed a global rise in the popularity and success of far-right wing parties. This new era of the radical right raises questions of what is causing and fueling these political movements. Political Scientists have identified several contributing factors from the global economic crisis of 2008, the migrant crisis of 2015 and the global pandemic in 2020. This research paper aims to demonstrate how immigration acts as a catalyst to the far-right by intersecting with political science ideologies and other variables. The focus of this paper is how the Vox Party found electoral success amid Spanish Exceptionalism. It analyzes populist and nationalist rhetoric as well as the strategies of the Vox Party to mobilize voters around divisive issues and in relation to nativism, globalization and economic factors. It concludes that immigration itself does not automatically result in far-right support, but it becomes a powerful tool to mobilize voters when framed by the far right as a threat to national identity, security and the economy.

Research Sponsor

Dr. Ronald Gelleny

First Reader

Dr. Phillip Marcin

Second Reader

Kirstin Polen de Campi

Honors Faculty Advisor

Dr. Ronald Gelleny

Proprietary and/or Confidential Information

No

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