Physical Memories and Far-Right Mobilization
Why didn't Denmark go far-right? A study of scope conditions for far-right mobilization using historical monuments and Viking heritage sites.
Status: Active — rejected at JHPE, being reframed. Meeting with co-author June 2026.
The interwar period saw far-right movements rise across much of Europe — but not equally. Denmark remained relatively resistant. This paper asks why, using variation in the presence of physical historical memories (Viking monuments, heritage sites) as a source of local identity that may crowd out or channel nationalist mobilization.
The paper exploits data from A Perfect Storm on local economic and demographic conditions to isolate the role of cultural memory from economic grievance. It contributes to a growing literature on scope conditions: not just why far-right movements rise, but when and where they do not.
With Lasse Aaskoven.