Populist Rhetoric

In this episode of the CMDS Media & Change podcast series, resident CMDS fellow Benjamin De Cleen, who is assistant professor at the Department of Communication Studies of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, discusses populist rhetoric. Benjamin’s research is situated within discourse studies and focuses on political rhetoric and on the intersections between media and politics. He analyses populist radical right rhetoric, and has worked on the discourse-theoretical conceptualization of populism, conservatism, and nationalism. Here, he speaks about the differences and similarities between parties and politicians regarded as populist, common strategies of populist parties such as the creation of enemies, and what he is currently working on.  Referenced works in the episode:De Cleen, Benjamin (forthcoming, 2017) Populism and Nationalism. In Handbook of Populism, edited by Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser, Paul Taggart, Paulina Ochoa Espejo and Pierre Ostiguy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.De Cleen, Benjamin & Stavrakakis, Yannis (forthcoming, 2017) Distinctions and Articulations. A Discourse-Theoretical Framework for the Study of Populism and Nationalism. Javnost – The PublicDe Cleen, Benjamin & Stavrakakis, Yannis (eds.) (forthcoming, 2017) Special issue on ‘Populism and nationalism: Representing the people as underdog and as nation’. Javnost-The Public