By Eliot Tomlinson
Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings have inspired many generations, uniting readers in a shared love for epic storytelling and mythological settings. It promotes empathetical values through the union of the races in the Fellowship. This is why I was amazed to hear JD Vance, a strong anti-abortionand anti-immigration politician, claim that “a lot of (his) conservative worldview was influenced by Tolkien growing up”.[1] The appropriation of Tolkien’s epic universe by nationalists seems to be a trend, with Meloni “think(ing) that Tolkien could say better than us what conservatives believe in”.[2] In response, British counterterrorism experts flagged the Lord of the Rings as a white supremacist handbook.[3]How can a fiction book be twisted and politically serve nationalist discourse on difference and exclusive identity? And for what purpose?
Nationalists not only celebrate Tolkien as a figure of nationalism but use his books to spread their ideas. The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit are an epic story of races, war and heroism, with a strong moral architecture between the right and the wrong. But nationalists overlook agency, reducing the Tolkien universe to races, however, characters defy this assumption. Frodo is not a typical Hobbit as he leaves his kins behind to face danger, going beyond the boundaries of races by forging the Fellowship to serve the common good. In Italy, immersive Hobbit-themed camps were built to educate young generations on strong nationalist ideas, and Meloni went there in her youth.[4]
The appropriation and manipulation of Tolkien’s ideas on nations and nationalism are part of a larger strategy. To reshape a country’s identity, nationalists go beyond the realm of politics and by channelling support through culture and arts. The appropriation of Tolkien’s fictional universe fits in this strategy. Today’s nationalism often refers to the “loyalty and devotion to a nation and tends to imply the placing of that nation above others”.[5] Nationalism spreads, reducing people’s agency by determining their sense of right and wrong and their identity through powerful stories and symbols that stir strong emotions.
As such, appropriation is a mechanism of binarization of ideas by erasing nuances. Tolkien was indeed somewhat of a nationalist. With the weakening of the British Empire, the author grew fonder of English culture. The First World War further threatened the English identity with destruction, either through defeat or through the period of inevitable upheaval that would follow. The First World War challenged the moral and cultural Western structure as it questioned all beliefs and assumptions. It is not surprising that in these times of reflection, Tolkien started to write the Lord of the Rings, inspired by English culture. He admitted that the Shire was inspired by the British countryside, with a happy and harmonious community.[6] However, his conception of nation was limited to the preservation of a country’s culture, and he seemed more motivated by patriotism than nationalism. Indeed, in his eyes, the conscious reshaping of a nation’s culture, with an imposed model, ultimately undermines a nation’s essence.[7] In that sense, Tolkien’s nationalism is very different from modern nationalism.
Nationalism is an aggressive political movement that associates people with a nation, attributing specific norms to them. It reshapes identity by imposing on people a particular vision of their history, of international politics and of acceptable social norms. As such, nationalists aim to offer one specific lens to identity by appropriating other ideas and conceptions of nationalism, undermining it brings nuances and enables critical thinking. By appropriating Tolkien’s work, modern nationalists alter and ultimately erase his understanding of nation and nationalism by distorting it, while attempting to increase their popularity.
Bibliography:
- Hauschild, Dominic. Fascists have twisted Tolkien into lord of the right wing (London: The Times, 2023)
- Horowitz, Jason. Hobbits and the Hard Right: How Fantasy Inspires Italy’s Potential New Leader (New York, NY: New York Times)
- Johnston, Amanda. J. R. R. Tolkien, War, and Nationalism (Atlanta, GA: Georgia State University, 2010)
- Uknown. Nationalism from Merriam-Webster (Chicago, IL: Encyclopædia Britannica,2024)
- Wren, Adam. How Lord of the Rings Shaped JD Vance’s Politics (Arlington County, VA: Politico, 2024)
[1] Wren, Adam. How Lord of the Rings Shaped JD Vance’s Politics (Arlington County, VA: Politico, 2024)
[2] Horowitz, Jason. Hobbits and the Hard Right: How Fantasy Inspires Italy’s Potential New Leader (New York, NY: New York Times)
[3] Hauschild, Dominic. Fascists have twisted Tolkien into lord of the right wing (London: The Times, 2023)
[4] Ibid.para.2
[5] Uknown.Nationalism from Merriam-Webster(Chicago,IL:Encyclopædia Britannica,2024)
[6] Johnston, Amanda. J. R. R. Tolkien, War, and Nationalism (Atlanta, GA: Georgia State University, 2010)
[7] Ibid.p.I
Identity Hunters 