Keynote speaker: Aurelien Mondon (University of Bath)
Populism remains as hotly debated as ever with relevant studies proliferating in recent years to an unprecedented extent. This has led many to talk about the emergence of a distinct field of ‘populism studies’ which spans disciplines from political theory and comparative politics to anthropology and international relations. Within this context, and on the theoretical/methodological level, we have seen new critical perspectives on the phenomenon as well as substantial critiques to established approaches. Similarly, in empirical research, we have seen studies of actors and regions previously ignored or under-researched but also the ‘usual suspects’ being scrutinised with new tools and methods, shedding light on aspects previously missed or downplayed. In this sense, the field is not only expanding, but is currently going through a period of maturation and critical reflexivity in which cross-disciplinarity and theoretical/methodological innovation play a key role. At the forefront of this movement there is a new generation of early career researchers (PhD students and postdoctoral researchers) that have come of age in a period of overlapping crises and tectonic shifts that have been reshaping societies and political systems across the world. At this workshop we aim to take stock of these novel developments in the field and give the floor to this new generation of populism scholars in order to promote both theoretical and empirical innovation in today’s critical juncture and to further cultivate the links among this vibrant community of younger researchers.
There are no limitations as to the thematic scope of the workshop, but we would particularly encourage people to present papers on the following topics:
- Critiques of established approaches to populism
- New approaches/perspectives in populism research
- Analyses of under-researched actors and regions (e.g. Africa, Middle East)
- Populism and the pandemic
- Populism, gender and race
- Populism’s ‘double hermeneutics’ / The role of populism scholars in normative debates
Please send a paper title and abstract (max. 200 words), along with a brief biographical note (max. 70 words) as one PDF or Word document to eklundhe@cardiff.ac.uk by 15 February 2021. The subject line of your email should read ‘Abstract PopulismSG 2021 Workshop – author name.’ Accepted participants will be notified by 31 March 2021.
Notes: (1) Given the still fragile and uncertain situation with the COVID19 pandemic, this workshop will take place fully online. More details will be sent to accepted participants in due course. (2) There are two specialist events that the Populism Specialist Group of the PSA will be (co)coordinating for 2021 – the second one in Berlin, in collaboration with the DVPW Populism Group Initiative on 8-10 September. We remain committed to generating and sustaining a scholarly community and, as a result, we will prioritise a wider spread of applicants for both events over duplication of personnel and/or presentations.
PSA Populism Specialist Group 