Populist Rhetorics: Case Studies and a Minimalist Definition (Rhetoric, Politics and Society)

This book proposes a unified approach to populism that sees it as a primarily rhetorical concept. Populism is on the rise worldwide with both populist leaders and movements gaining power, and the term "populism" resounds in political debate, journalism, and scholarship. Populism as a phenomenon seems to instantiate perennial issues besetting rhetoric (e.g., the charges of manipulation, exclusive reliance on opinion over knowledge, and abuse of emotional appeals), yet relatively little research on populism has emerged from the discipline of rhetoric. This volume investigates the theory and practice of populism under the heading of rhetoric but as an interdisciplinary effort involving scholars in rhetoric as well as neighbouring disciplines such as political science and sociology. Seven case studies covering Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, UK, USA, and Venezuela offer conceptual discussions as well as close analyses applying both historical and theoretical approaches. In the introduction, the editors outline the problem of populism and their project, presenting the book's wide-spanning case-based explorations. In an afterword they seek to distil a "minimal" rhetorical definition of populism. The claim or pretense to speak for "the people" emerges as the feature that connects the highly diverse instances studied in the book--and populisms in general, the editors hypothesize. They argue that this prevalent rhetorical move, often glossed over as unremarkable and banal, is in principle more debatable and deserving of more vigilant scrutiny than usually assumed. Christian Kock is Emeritus Professor of Rhetoric at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He has published in Philosophy and Rhetoric, Argumentation, Political Communication, Rhetorica, Rhetorica Scandinavica, Paradigmi, Informal Logic, Controversia and many other journals and has authored and edited several books in Danish and English on political rhetoric, argumentation, and public debate, most recently his Deliberative Rhetoric: Arguing about Doing (2017). Lisa Villadsen is Professor and Head of the Section of Rhetoric at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She has published in Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Quarterly Journal of Speech, Javnost, Rhetorica Scandinavica, and other journals on official apologies, political rhetoric, dissent, and populism, most recently "Low Style the High Way: Rhetorical Mainstreaming of Populism" in the edited volume Vox Populi: Populism as a Rhetorical and Democratic Challenge (2020) Contents 6 Notes on Contributors 8 List of Figures 12 Introduction 13 The Problem(s) of Populism 14 Approaches 15 Untapped Interdisciplinary Opportunities 16 What We Mean by “Rhetoric” 17 Populist “Melancholy” in Trumpist Republicanism 19 Self-Confident Turncoat: Italy’s Salvini 21 A Digital Boost to Character Appeals in Brexit Rhetoric 22 Provocative by Design: Media-Savvy German Populist Rhetoric 24 Syriza Over-riding the Moral High Horse 26 Populism as Victorious Victimization 28 For the Love of the People 29 References 30 Populist Melancholy 32 Introduction 32 Victimage, Whiteness, Conservatism 38 The RNP 43 Affirming “The People” 45 Constructing the Enemy 47 Linking System and Enemy 49 The Apocalyptic 50 The 2020 RNP 52 Conclusion 55 References 56 Voltagabbana Rhetorics: Turncoating as a Populist Strategy in Pandemic Times 60 U-Turns and Mixed Messages in a Pandemic Context 60 Populist Turncoating, Rhetoric, and Crises 64 Voltagabbana-ing as Populist Strategy 66 Trasformismo and Contemporary Populist Rhetoric 67 Covid-19 Outbreak in Italy: from Epidemic to Pandemic 71 No-Mask/Pro-Mask Rollercoasters in the Italian Public Sphere 73 Salvini Unmasked: Rhetorical Somersaults and Data-Driven Rhetorics 80 On Algorithmic Populism, Beasts, Disavowal, and Demagoguery 82 References 88 Brexit, YouTube and the Populist Rhetorical Ethos 92 Introduction 92 Ideology and the Populist Ethos 93 Media and Populist Rhetoric 97 YouTube Rhetoric 100 A Case Study in YouTube Populism: The “Truth” About Brexit. 102 Conclusion 111 References 114 Populism and the Rise of the AfD in Germany 118 Introduction: Right-Wing Populism in Germany and the Alternative Für Deutschland 118 Populist Rhetoric and the Media 121 The Mediasphere of the Alternative für Deutschland 127 Populist Parrhesia: Björn Höcke’s “Dresden Speech” 132 Targeted Provocation: Alice Weidel’s Populist Cross-Media Rhetoric 139 The Challenge of Reality: Populism and the COVID-19 Crisis 145 References 146 The Rhetorical Strategy of Moralisation: A Lesson from Greece 151 The Exigence of ‘The Crisis’ 154 Negotiating Doxa 156 Doxa and Persuasion 156 The Struggle Over Doxa 157 The Rhetorical Strategy of Moralisation 159 Materialising Moralisation 161 From ‘Economic’ to ‘Humanitarian’ Crisis 162 Framing ‘The People’ 164 Crafting an Ethos of Good Will 168 Conclusions 170 References 172 Victorious Victimization: Orbán the Orator—Deep Securitization and State Populism in Hungary’s Propaganda State 175 The Birth of an Orator: The Imprint of 1989 176 Orbán’s Propaganda State 182 Massive Fear-Mongering: The Leading Theme 186 Enemies of the People 191 Victorious Populism: Cultural, Social and Political Contexts 192 References 194 The Voice and Message of Hugo Chávez: A Rhetorical Analysis 196 A Field That Should Take the Time to Listen 197 An Inductive Analysis 199 Hallmarks of Chávez’ Rhetoric, 1: The Master of “the Low” 200 Hallmarks of Chávez’ Rhetoric, 2: The Performative Mode (Epic Poetry and Graphic Exaggerations) 205 Hallmarks of Chávez’ Rhetoric, 3: An Idiosyncratic Logic 211 Messianic and “Prophetic” Time: Religion and Redemptive Politics 218 Conclusion 223 References 224 Populism: A Definition Sought and Tested 226 The Enormity and Elusiveness of Populism 227 Populism as a Rhetorical Notion 228 Populism: Toward a Rhetorical Definition 233 Populism—Banal and Malignant 238 Populism vs. Pluralism 239 Seven Rhetorical Populisms 243 The United States: A Lost People 244 Italy: The People’s Rollercoaster Captain 245 The United Kingdom: A People Finding Itself in Brexit 247 Germany: “Not Against Its Own People but for It” 248 Greece: The Morally Virtuous People 249 Revenge of a Victimized People: Hungary’s Orbán 251 Venezuela: “Chávez, It’s a People” 252 Populism as a Rhetorical Artifice 253 References 255