Popular Culture and Populism

Political populism builds on a world-view based on the antagonistic opposition of ‘the good people’ and the ‘corrupt elite’, and is often connected to ideologies such as nativism, misogyny, authoritarianism and racism.

In their attempt to redefine cultural hegemony, populists make use of cultural strategies. Indeed, radical right-wing populism and popular culture are closely connected; populist leaders, parties and movements often explicitly draw on popular cultural means to disseminate their ideologies, for instance, by using social media, internet memes, and computer games.

But they also increasingly act as popular culture celebrities: Trump’s presidency has been described as being a “reality show from the White House”, Boris Johnson's campaign released post-ironic “Boriswave” and a Love Actually parody. Populist parties like the Sweden Democrats, the 5-Star Movement in Italy, Fidesz in Hungary and the Polish Law & Justice Party (PiS) organize music festivals and family picnics.

In turn, popular culture increasingly reflects populist ideas and affords populist interpretations, as illustrated by hip hop artists disseminating Corona-related conspiracy theories in Dutch mainstream media, or Hollywood productions as The Joker (2019) becoming touchstones for the alt-right.

This interdisciplinary online lecture series brings together leading scholars and practitioners from different disciplinary backgrounds (Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Popular Music Studies, Sociology, Political Science) to give insights into the various forms of interactions between populism, the radical right and popular culture.

Dates and locations

Location: Online via Zoom

Dates: 9 September 2021 - 28 October 2021 (see programme below)

Registration

Registration is required for each individual lecture. After registration, you will receive the Zoom link via email.

Organization

Dr Melanie Schiller (Media Studies & Popular Music)

Dr Léonie de Jonge (European Politics & Society)

Dr Elizaveta Gaufman (Russian Discourse & Politics)

The Groningen Institute for the Study of Culture ( ICOG ); the Research Center for Arts in Society Research ( AiS ); the Research Centre for the Study of Democratic Cultures and Politics ( DemCP ) and the Research Project “ Popular Music and the Rise of Populism in Europe ” (financed by the Volkswagen Foundation).

Programme

Contact

Please contact us at popandpopulism rug.nl

Follow us on twitter: @PopAndPopulism