Abstract
Eric Hobsbawm famously helped develop the concept of an invented tradition. Where something may appear traditional, use traditional symbols and language, it may still yet be a modern political project—invented to achieve modern political results. This essay analyzes a species of reactionary far-right politics which utilizes and sometimes criticizes Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant. Specifically engaged in the promotion of white identitarianism against encroaching Islamism, liberalism, and globalism, these political actors have invented forms of Christianity which would be otherwise alien to their historical counterparts. In this essay non-Christian thinkers such as Julius Evola are analyzed alongside cultural Christians such as Anders Breivik and explicit Christian identitarians such as Brenton Tarrant, both of whom are famous for terrorist acts in defense of “western civilization.” This essay seeks to historically contextualize their claims and shed light on how seemingly traditional symbols, concepts, or historical episodes are ahistorical and thoroughly modern. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.