masterclass sociology
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Masterclass Sociology Tilburg University. 26 november 2014.TRANSCRIPT
Populism:
A thin ideology?Peter Achterberg, Professor of Sociology, Tilburg U.
Populism – a slippery concept
Populist movements have systems of beliefs which
are diffuse; they are inherently difficult to control
and organize; they lack consistency, and their
activity waxes and wanes with a bewildering
frequency. Populism is a difficult, slippery
concept…(Paul Taggart, 2000: 1-2)
Populism – a ‘minimal’ definition
Hugo Chaves versus Marine le Pen
What do they have in common?
A ‘thin’ ideology
• Progressive, reactionary, democratic, authoritarian, left and right:
• EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE POSSIBLE!!
• ‘Empty heart’, ‘thin ideology’ (Mudde, 2004)
• Opposed to a ‘full ideology’ which has the capacity to put forward
a wide ranging and coherent program for the solution to crucial
political questions (Stanley, 2008)
• Yet, there is a core in this thin ideology!
• And, there always is a connection to a grand narrative / ideology!
Three questions:
1. What is this core ideology?
2. Why do populists need a host ideology?
3. Who, and why, do people actually support such a thin ideology?
(And why?)
1. From antagonism to ideology
• Populist discourse: Antagonism between the elite and the people…
• For example: Wilders criticizing political elites…
• For example: Hugo Chaves criticizing international business
elites…
• Populist discourse can start @ any time @any place where
• Logic of difference (people accept differences) is traded in for…
• Logic of equivalence (people feel equal, but are disappointed all
the time)
• Mobilizing role of populist leadership!
1. The core of this thin ideology
• An ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into
two homogeneous and antagonistic groups: ‘the pure people’ versus
the ‘corrupt elite’, and which argues that politics should be seen as
an expression of the volonté genérale of the people (Mudde, 2004:
543)
Three questions:
1. What is this core ideology?
2. Why do populists need a host ideology?
3. Who, and why, do people actually support such a thin ideology?
(And why?)
2: Why do populists need a host ideology?
• Knowing who are the good guys and who are the bad ones probably
doesn’t solve all problems in the nation?
• The need for a host ideology…
• No or little guidance what to think about complex political issues
• The will of the people is also reflected in popular ideologies
• Allows for differing host ideologies?
• Yes! (Next slide)
• Not all ideologies are suitable: Antagonistic core needs to be
in line with host ideology!!
2. Neoliberalism as a host ideology
• Politics is all about bread and butter issues – ‘It’s the economy
stupid’
• Neoliberal zeitgeist: Trust in the market over state!!!
• In earlier scholarly work on populism:
• Talk of ‘neoliberal populism’ (Betz)
• Talk of a ‘winning formula’ (Kitschelt) - - - > success for those
populists embracing neoliberalism….
2:Neoliberalism as a host ideology
• However:
• Eastern European populist parties:
• Embrace state protectionism and economically leftist ideas
• Neoliberal stances are completely missing (Markovski, 2002)
• More recent developments:
• Populist parties started to adopt ‘third way’ (socially liberal)
ideologies from the nineties onwards
• For example Vlaams blok (now: Vlaams Belang)
2: Neoliberalism as a host ideology
• Rise of ‘nativist economics’ among populists
• Embracing protectionism
• Embracing regulation
• Embracing de-privatization
• And embracing welfare chauvinism….
• Populist parties in Europe aren’t that neo-liberal anymore!!!
Three questions:
1. What is this core ideology?
2. Why do populists need a host ideology?
3. Who, and why, do people actually support such a thin ideology?
(And why?)
3. Who supports such a thin ideology? (And
why?)
• Arguments frequently made in the literature:
• Cross-class base – all classes can adhere to populist
ideologies…(Mudde, 2007)
• Schizophrenic economic agenda suits this cross-class base very
well…(E.g. Achterberg et al 2010)
• Yet, the question of whom supports the ideological core of
antagonism between the people and elites is seldomly studied…
• Research by Elchardus and Spruyt (2014) does just that!
3. Supporting populist ideology
3. Supporting populist ideology
• Taking this ideology as a dependent, they find:
• Lower income groups and lower educated support this ideology
(overwhelmingly) because….
• They feel relatively deprived and consider this a form of
discrimination against ‘people like us’
• They are nostalgic (they want a world/society that has been
lost and hope populists will redress the situation)
Three answers:
1. What is this core ideology?
• Antagonism between ‘the pure people’ and ‘corrupt elites’, politics as an expression of the general will of the people…
2. Why do populists need a host ideology?
• To provide political answers that cannot be answered by the core ideology…
3. Who, and why, do people actually support such a thin ideology? (And why?)
• Especially lower socio-economic groups, because of feelings of nostalgia and relative deprivation…
Populism in comparative perspective
• Master course Sociology
• Wide range of themes: Voting behavior, political communication,
anti-institutionalism, religion and populism, comparative research
on populism….
• One paper, written exam…
• Lectures and seminars…