Populism and Passions: Democratic Legitimacy after Austerity (Routledge Advances in Democratic Theory)

There is a consensus that right, and left-wing populism is on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic, from Donald Trump in the United States, to Spain's leftist Podemos. These may utilize different kinds of populist mobilizations but the fact remains that elite and mass opinion is fuelling a populist backlash. In Populism and Passions , twelve scholars engage with discourse analysis, democratic theory, and post structural political thought to study the political logic of passion for contemporary populism. Together these interdisciplinary essays demonstrate what emotional engagement implies for the spheres of politics and the social, and how it governs and mobilizes individuals. The volume presents: Theoretical and empirical implications for political analysis; Chapters on the current rise of populism, both right and left-wing trends, their different ideological features, and their relationship with the logic of passion; Theoretical implications for the future study of populism and democratic legitimacy. A timely analysis of this political phenomena in contemporary Western democracies, Populism and Passions is ideal for students and scholars in political theory, comparative politics, social theory, critical theory, cultural studies, and global studies. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of figures 8 List of Contributors 9 Introduction: Populism, Democracy, and the Logic of Passion 12 The logic of passion and populist politics 14 Passions and the boundaries of democratic legitimacy 17 Structure of the Book 18 References 21 PART I: Ordering the Political Realm 24 1. Political Affects in the Neuroscientific Age 26 Introduction 26 Turning to the Affective: A New Direction for Political Thought 27 Affected Selves: Understanding the Postsovereign Subject 30 From Neuroscience to Passions: The Paradox of the Postsovereign Subject 34 Conclusion 37 References 38 2. Populisms and Emotions 42 Introduction 42 Emotionally Analysing Populism 43 Definitional Conundrum and Political Emotions 46 Populism: An Emotionally Charged Phenomenon 48 Resentment and Ressentiment 51 Short Conclusion 54 References 55 3. Populism versus Technocracy: Performance, Passions, and Aesthetics 60 Populism as Political Style 61 Populism vs. Technocracy 65 Conclusion 71 References 72 PART II: Passionate Logic and Discourse in Times of Austerity 76 4. Our Damned Weakness: Tensions between Reason and Emotion in Podemos 78 Introduction 78 Conceptualizing Affect and Emotions 79 Understanding the Affect–Populism Nexus 83 Continuing Tensions in the Discourse of Podemos 85 Conclusion 89 References 89 5. The Political Logic of Populist Hype: The Case of Right- Wing Populism’s ‘Meteoric Rise’ and Its Relation to the Status Quo 93 Introduction 93 Characterizing and Problematizing Right-wing Populist Hype 96 Populist Hype as a Political Logic 103 The Fantasmatic logic of Populist Hype 107 Conclusion 109 References 110 6. Populism and the Use of Tropes 113 Introduction 113 Populism, Parties and the Use of Tropes 114 The Case of Syriza 116 Syriza, Metonymy and Equality 118 Laws of Equality? 120 Conclusion 122 References 123 7. Emotions and the Left in Denmark. Towards Left-Wing and Mainstream Populism 126 Introduction 126 Emotions in Politics 128 The Red-Green Alliance and The Alternative in the Danish political system 130 The Red Green Alliance: Welfare and Community 132 The Alternative: Hope and New Thoughts 136 Conclusion 140 References 141 PART III: Passions and Democratic Legitimacy 144 8. Filling the Vacuum? Passion, ‘the People’, and Affective Communities 146 The Spread of Populism and the ‘Boundary Problem’ 146 Who is ‘The People’? 148 The Vacuum and Representation: The Boundary of Democracy? 149 Filling the Vacuum: Passion, Identity, and Communication 151 The Boundary of ‘the People’, Passion, and Democratic Legitimacy: Concluding Remarks 154 References 156 9. Passion, Excess, and Fear of the Mob: Populism as Ideology 159 What is Populism? 161 The Elite and the People 163 Problems of Pluralism 165 Take Me to Your (Strong) Leader 167 Conclusion 170 References 171 10. Populism and the Restructuring of the Public Sphere 173 Restructuring of the Public Sphere 173 Media Democracy 175 The Advent of Digital Democracy 177 Post-Truth, Post-Facticity, or Bullshit? 182 Narcissist Individualism Versus Civic Conscience 190 References 193 Index 195 Political Affects In The Neuroscientific Age / Manuel Arias Maldonado -- Populisms And Emotions / Nicolas Demertzis -- Populism Versus Technocracy : Performance, Passions, And Aesthetics / Benjamin Moffitt -- Our Damned Weakness : Tensions Between Reason And Emotion In Podemos / Emmy Eklundh -- The Political Logic Of Populist Hhpe : The Case Of Right-wing Populism's Meteoric Rise And Its Relation To The Status Quo / Jason Glynos And Aurelien Mondon -- Populism And The Use Of Tropes / Paulina Tambakaki -- Emotions And The Left In Denmark : Towards Left-wing And Mainstream Populism / Oscar García Agustín -- Filling The Vacuum? : Passion, The People, And Affective Communities / Paolo Cossarini -- Passion, Excess, And Fear Of The Mob : Populism As Ideology / Simon Tormey -- Populism And The Restructuring Of The Public Sphere / Fernando Vallespín And Máriam Martínez-bascuñán. Edited By Paolo Cossarini And Fernando Vallespín. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In Populism and Passions, twleve scholars engage with discourse analysis, democratic theory, and post structural political thought to study the political logic of passion for contemporary populism.