Symbolic Transnationalism and Illiberal Discourse in Peripheral Contexts

This contribution discusses the increasingly transnationalised landscape of the contemporary far right, focusing on the ways in which actors embedded in nativist and nationalist worldviews actively engage with and appropriate external references to structure local meaning-making. Rather than interpreting nationalism as a static obstacle to international engagement, the analysis deconstructs the refracted and selectively adapted forms of transnationality visible across far-right discourses and mobilization strategies. Combining two empirical studies based on qualitative interviews and digital ethnography, and centred on the Georgian case, the paper foregrounds the elasticity of far-right discourse, where both younger and more established illiberal actors engage in referential borrowing, mimetic alignment, and what is here conceptualised as negative source inspiration — the use of foreign examples as cautionary tales to legitimise domestic agendas. This form of transnationalism offers a novel perspective on how ideological coherence is constructed not only through emulation, but also through retraction. Transnationalism, in this context, is not confined to formal cooperation or institutionalised exchange, but operates through fragmented and asynchronous circuits of circulation: algorithmically enhanced visibility, curated examples of ‘Western decline’, and reframed lessons from admired illiberal leaders (e.g., Orbán, Trump, AfD). Digital infrastructures and perceived geopolitical marginality emerge as key conditions that allow nationalist actors to overcome isolation and structure indirect transnational connections. Across both cases, nationalism remains a central discursive anchor, yet is mobilised in a way that facilitates rather than hinders transnational resonance. Ultimately, the article demonstrates how far-right actors in peripheral contexts such as Georgia sustain transnational affiliations through symbolic convergence, reactive referencing, and discursive emulation as underexplored mode of illiberal transnationalism.