Populism and Nationalism

Watch

• The rise of modern populism - Takis S. Pappas ↗TED-Ed
• Young and radical - Why right-wing populism is on the rise | DW Documentary ↗DW Documentary
• Populist upset: Poland swings back to the right | DW Documentary ↗DW Documentary
• The Rise of Populism - A Threat to Europe? | Quadriga ↗DW News
• The Rise of Germany's New Right (full documentary) | FRONTLINE ↗FRONTLINE PBS | Official
• What's Behind the Global Rise in Populism? ↗Bloomberg Originals

Read

• What is Populism? ↗A concise and incisive analysis that distinguishes populism from legitimate democratic dissent, offering a crucial framework for understanding its contemporary manifestations.Jan-Werner Müller
• The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It ↗This work dissects the global trend of illiberal democracy, demonstrating how the rise of populism threatens the very foundations of liberal societies.Yascha Mounk
• How Democracies Die ↗An essential examination of how democratic institutions can erode from within, often at the hands of elected leaders employing populist tactics.Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
• The Populist ZeitgeistThis foundational article articulates a widely accepted definition of populism as a thin-centred ideology, crucial for academic and public discourse.Cas Mudde
• Nationalism: Five Roads to Modernity ↗A magisterial historical and sociological account of nationalism's diverse origins and enduring power, providing deep context for its modern resurgence.Liah Greenfeld

Voices to follow

• Cas Mudde ↗A leading authority on the global rise and varied manifestations of populism, offering incisive analysis of its ideological core and democratic implications.Professor of Political Science, University of Georgia
• Jan-Werner Müller ↗Provides a rigorous conceptual framework for understanding populism's anti-pluralist nature and its inherent challenge to democratic norms.Professor of Politics, Princeton University
• Yascha Mounk ↗Explores the fragility of liberal democracies and the pathways through which populist movements can erode democratic institutions from within.Associate Professor of International Affairs, Johns Hopkins University
• Pippa Norris ↗Offers empirical insights into the cultural grievances and demographic shifts that fuel populist revolts against established political orders.Professor of Comparative Politics, Harvard University

Glossary

• DemagogueA political leader who tries to win support by appealing to people's emotions, fears, and prejudices rather than by using rational arguments. They often make big promises they can't keep. For example, a speaker who constantly blames a specific group for all of society's problems to gain followers is acting like a demagogue.
• GlobalizationThe process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale. It means countries and people around the world are becoming more connected through trade, technology, and culture. For example, being able to buy clothes made in different countries or watch movies from Hollywood in India is part of globalization.
• Identity PoliticsA political approach where people with a particular shared identity (like their religion, race, gender, or social background) form political alliances and pursue policies that specifically advance their group's interests. For example, a political movement focused on improving the rights and opportunities specifically for women is an example of identity politics.
• NationalismA strong feeling of pride in and loyalty to one's own country, often believing it is superior to others. It emphasizes the shared culture, history, and interests of a nation. For example, cheering loudly for your country's team in an international sports match shows a form of nationalism.
• PopulismA political approach where leaders claim to represent the 'common people' against a group they see as the 'elite' or 'establishment'. They often promise simple solutions to complex problems. For example, a politician might say, 'I'm fighting for you, the hardworking citizens, against the corrupt politicians in the capital.'
• PropagandaInformation, often biased or misleading, used to promote a particular political cause or point of view. It tries to influence how people think and behave. For example, a government might use posters and news stories that only show positive things about its policies to convince people they are good.
• ProtectionismAn economic policy that aims to protect a country's own industries from foreign competition. This is usually done by taxing imported goods or limiting how many can be brought in. For example, if a country puts a high tax on imported cars to encourage people to buy cars made locally, that's protectionism.
• SovereigntyThe full right and power of a governing body over itself, without outside interference. It means a country has the ultimate authority to make its own laws and decisions. For example, when India makes its own laws without other countries telling it what to do, that's an exercise of its sovereignty.
• Us vs. Them MentalityA way of thinking that divides people into two opposing groups: 'us' (our group, which is seen as good) and 'them' (the other group, which is seen as bad or threatening). This thinking often creates division and conflict. For example, if students from one school always think they are better than students from another school, that's an 'us vs. them' mentality.
• XenophobiaAn intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries. It's a prejudice against foreigners or anything perceived as foreign. For example, if someone believes that all problems in their country are caused by immigrants, they might be showing xenophobia.

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Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• Neuroscience Psychology

  Oxytocin gets called the 'bonding hormone' because it makes you trust and love people close to you. But the same chemical also makes you more suspicious of outsiders. So the warm glow of belonging to your group has a built-in us-versus-them edge.

• Game Theory & Strategy Mathematics

  When a huge group needs to unite fast, they latch onto one obvious marker, a nation, a flag, an ethnicity, that everyone can instantly recognize and rally around. It's an easy meeting point that solves teamwork. But it also locks 'us' against 'them' for good.

• Immunology Health

  Your body has a disgust reflex that makes you avoid rotten food and sick people, to dodge germs. That same reflex can get aimed at outsiders instead. It helps explain why fear of foreigners spikes when people feel like they might catch something.

• The Medium Is the Message Media

  You feel loyal to millions of people you'll never meet, your country. That feeling had to be invented. Printed newspapers and novels let strangers imagine living the same day together, building the "us" that nationalism later fights to protect.

• Evolution Science

  The instinct that makes you sacrifice for your own group seems to have grown up hand in hand with suspicion of outsiders. In other words, loyalty and tribal hostility may be two sides of the same evolved trait. The warmth we feel for "us" is wired to the wariness we feel toward "them."