This essay argues that the double movement, albeit slightly reconceptualized, offers an analytical opportunity to examine the use of monolithic nationalism as a strategic means of neoliberal state legitimation.
To this end, it is necessary to first establish a conceptual definition of “nationalist politics” and offer analytical support for the presence of such a phenomenon. The second forthcoming section articulates a Polanyian theory of the state and the role of countermovement economic protectionism as a fundamental means of maintaining legitimate authority.
The final section examines how a reconceptualization of the double movement offers an opportunity to understand the role of nationalist politics in facilitating state legitimacy despite the raw promotion of capital accumulation.
