Left-Wing Populism in (Southern) Europe: Historical Anomaly or Paradigm Shift?

Abstract

This panel seeks to contribute to the debates on populism and political extremism by examining the rise of left-wing populism in Southern Europe as a distinctive political phenomenon. It does so by focusing on two related aspects, thus covering both the supply and the demand side and combining the concrete analysis of empirical cases with an attempt to draw its theoretical and conceptual implications. First, it examines the political discourses, rhetoric and messages articulated by recent left-wing populist actors in countries like Spain, Greece, etc. In mapping this field, the panel combines different conceptual, theoretical and empirical approaches to the study of populism. In particular, it brings together different methodological schools in the analysis of political discourse. Both Team populism and Populismus Observatory share a strong emphasis on the specificities of populist discourse. While Teampopulism codifies discourses and programs mainly applying Hawkins’ holistic grading, Populismus relies predominantly on an Essex School type of Discourse Analysis. Second, the panel analyzes empirically populist attitudes and voting. It will thus include case studies as well as comparative research on the most recent populist parties in Europe.

Title	Details
European populisms against post-politics: similarities and differences between Podemos and Movimento Cinque Stelle	View Paper Details
Contemporary Populist Discourse in Spanish Politics: The Case of Podemos	View Paper Details
Populist Attitudes, Populist Discourse and Party Vote in Spain	View Paper Details
Syriza’s Populism: Testing and Extending an Essex School Perspective	View Paper Details
Varieties of Left-Wing Populism in Southern and Northern Europe: Insights from a Discursive Perspective	View Paper Details