Excluding in the Name of Freedom

This thesis investigates how the Dutch populist radical right party, the Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV), constructs national identity in its political discourse, and how this construction has evolved from the party's founding in 2006 to its electoral victory in 2023. The research is situated within broader academic debates on national identity and populism, particularly the ways in which identity is strategically shaped through political rhetoric. While the PVV is known for its anti-Islam and anti-immigration stance, this study seeks to uncover how its understanding of 'the' Dutch identity has shifted over time and how boundaries are rhetorically drawn and redrawn in response to societal developments. The central research question guiding this thesis is: How has the PVV's construction of Dutch national identity transformed and evolved from its founding in 2006 to its electoral victory in 2023? To answer this question, the study adopts a qualitative approach, drawing on a close-reading analysis as its main method. The primary sources consist of a selection of PVV national election programs and contributions to yearly debates by Geert Wilders. Through textual analysis, the research identifies recurring themes, rhetorical shifts, and symbolic references that together form the PVV's evolving narrative of Dutch identity. The findings show that while the PVV's populist core, centered on a dichotomy between a belonging in-group of Dutch people and threatening out-groups, remains stable, the expression of this binary becomes increasingly exclusionary over time. Initially grounded in civic appeals to citizenship, the PVV's discourse gradually shifts toward an ethnic and more exclusive conception of identity that privileges nativeness, moral conformity, and historical rootedness. Muslims, non-Western immigrants, and political elites are consistently portrayed as existential threats to a culturally homogeneous Dutch identity, while national values and historical references are reframed as the exclusive inheritance of native Dutch citizens. The thesis concludes that Dutch national identity, in the PVV's discourse, is not a fixed construction, but a strategic and flexible narrative shaped by political goals and societal context. This evolving construction reflects both ideological consistency and rhetorical adaptability. The study contributes to the literature on populism and nationalism by highlighting how identity narratives are actively produced and redefined within political discourse. It also points to the importance of analyzing symbolic and emotional appeals, such as references to history, culture, and values, as central tools in the construction of exclusionary national identities.