Exploring Left-Wing Populism in an Age of Anti-Politics
1 September 2015 - 31 August 2017
PI/s in Exeter: Dr Bice Maiguashca
Research partners: Leading institute: Dr Jonathan Dean (University of Leeds)
Funding awarded: £ 21,085
Sponsor(s): Leverhulme
About the research
Left-wing populism is a significant trend in European politics, yet it is largely overlooked in academic studies of populism. Against this backdrop, the project has three aims. First, we seek to carry-out an in-depth empirical investigation of left-wing populism in contemporary Britain in two social domains: (a) left political parties (the Greens and the Labour Party) and (b) left-wing ‘celebrity activism’ (reflected in the practices/discourses of left-wing media personalities e.g. Owen Jones, Russel Brand, Laurie Penny, Charlotte Church). Second, we aim to critically interrogate the politics of left-wing populism by mapping the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, particularly around gender and race, that shape and sustain it. Finally, we wish to contribute to prevailing theoretical debates about populism by offering a more robust, complex and nuanced conceptualisation of this phenomenon.
