Immagini mitologiche. Politiche dello sguardo e iconografie della destra

This contribution explores the role of images in shaping the political imaginary of the right, drawing on visual culture theory and ideological critique. Through a close reading of four recent works – Research Handbook on Visual Politics (Lilleker and Veneti 2023), Manifesti politici (Novelli 2021), Cultura di destra e società di massa (Cangiano 2022), and Iconografie della destra (Cheles 2023) – it examines how visual forms act as myth-making devices. Far from being decorative, images function as symbolic acts that condense memory, emotion, and ideology, operating as Schlagbilder (Warburg 1920) and mythological materials (Jesi 1979a). The analysis brings together a set of exemplary texts that, together, construct a critical genealogy of right-wing visuality. It highlights how the right, historically and today, mobilizes ritualistic and symbolic iconographies to foster collective belonging and legitimize regressive worldviews. In doing so, it foregrounds the normative and mobilizing power of reactionary visual culture within the broader struggle for cultural hegemony.