From Fluff to Fire: Populism Made Visual

Abstract

This panel approaches the performance of populism from varied theoretical and methodological directions, focusing on its multifarious visual manifestations. While the papers proceed from different understandings of what populism is, the shared question that they attempt to answer from their different perspectives is what populism looks like. In the complex theatre of contemporary politics, the visual has usurped the textual as the primary conduit of communication, necessitating a reevaluation of how political narratives are constructed and perceived. The rise of "visual populism" has given a momentum to this shift, with populist leaders utilizing transgressive visual markers to craft and convey political messages directly to the people, often bypassing traditional media channels. This study, positioned within the growing field of visual political communication, seeks to unravel the subtleties of this phenomenon. Populism, while not a new construct, has renewed itself in the digital age, where the immediacy and commonness of visual media offer an unparalleled platform for political engagement. One contribution seeks to explore the nonverbal communication strategies of populist politicians, identifying common expressive indicators, such as gestures, facial expressions and intonation patterns. This research aims to document the core elements of a populist communication style and lay the groundwork for future audience-based research. Another investigates the strategic use of everyday imagery to establish and amplify populist narratives, and how such normal visual markers contribute to articulating both ‘the people’ and ‘the other’. It argues that populist politicians aren’t just barking mad when they pose with dogs or sausages — instead, they are creating important opportunities to affectively link themselves with followers. The third explores militarized performative elements in Volodomyr Zelensky’s sartorial choices within the broader discourse of gender, politics and digital media influence. This research underscores the nuanced articulations of hegemonic masculinity and hotness in political leadership and its capacity to resonate with a diverse audience in complex socio-political landscapes. The fourth approaches the issue through a media studies lens, asking whether remediated visuals of a populist uprising in one country can spark a copycat reaction in another even when the two events are far removed in time. It looks at the visuals of populism from the ground up, relying on visuals of populist supporters rather than content produced by or the actions of populist leaders. Overall, this panel provides an important contribution in the expanding field of visual political studies. By dissecting the complex interplay of imagery, narrative, and populist rhetoric, it illuminates how contemporary politics is increasingly driven by visual cues and expressions. The insights gained here not only enrich our understanding of political communication in the digital age but also serve as a vital resource for future explorations into the evolving landscape of populist movements and their visual strategies.

Title	Details
Banana populism: Appeeling to the people	View Paper Details
Politically narrow but performatively rich: Populist communication and normative disruption	View Paper Details
Can Attacks on The Democratic Process Be Exported? A Copycat Effect Investigation Through Visual and Quantitative Analysis	View Paper Details
Warbae in the field: Zelensky’s performance of hegemonic masculinity on social media	View Paper Details
#Fashwave and #Trumpwave - Memes as "Metapolitical" Tools of the Alt Right	View Paper Details