Populism: An inevitable path towards radicalization?

GREGOR, Miloš and Otto EIBL. Populism: An inevitable path towards radicalization? In Helsinki Conference on Emotions, Polarisation and Populism. 2023.

Basic information

• Original name: Populism: An inevitable path towards radicalization?
• Authors: GREGOR, Miloš and Otto EIBL.
• Edition: Helsinki Conference on Emotions, Polarisation and Populism, 2023.

Other information

• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Field of Study: 50601 Political science
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: web konference
• Organization unit: Faculty of Social Studies
• Keywords (in Czech): populismus; populistický styl komunikace; radikalizace
• Keywords in English: populism; populist communication style; radicalization
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Populism has attracted the attention of scholars across various fields, including political communication. Among other issues, researchers have described the populist communication style and analysed its rhetoric and relationship with the media. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the societal and political consequences of this communication style. Thus, the paper aims to address this gap by examining the longer-term consequences of the populist communication style and its impact on the strategies of political actors who use it in their activities. Specifically, we analyse how the success of politicians who adopt a populist communication style (Silvio Berlusconi, Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán, Andrej Babiš, etc.) affects their behaviour and that of their supporters in the long run. Our analysis shows that the use of a populist communication style leads to the radicalization of political actors and their supporters over time.

Links

• MUNI/A/1279/2022, interní kód MU: Name: Aktuální problémy politologického výzkumu IX.

Investor: Masaryk University, Current Issues in Political Science Research IX.