Lecture by Sabrina Morán — In the name of the people: “Populism” and political polarization in contemporary Argentina

HEPP will be hosting Sabrina Morán, a CONICET and Instituto Gino Germany researcher at the University of Buenos Aires, November 3rd from 9.30-11.30 in the Karolina Eskelin Room (UH Main Building, U3032) for her lecture “In the name of the people: ‘Populism’ and political polarization in contemporary Argentina.”

The Helsinki Institute on Emotions, Populism, and Polarisation (HEPP) is ecstatic to announce an upcoming lecture as part of the . All are welcome to attend the symposium’s keynote lectures; no pre-registration is required.

The keynote speaker, Sabrina Morán, is a researcher at CONICET and the Instituto Gino Germany at the University of Buenos Aires. She has worked on populism for several years, addressing its relationship with republicanism and democracy in Argentina.

In the name of the people: “Populism” and political polarization in contemporary Argentina

The polarization that is a central concern in Western democracies in crisis in the 21st century is not a novelty in Argentina, but rather a characteristic feature of its political dynamics. However, Javier Milei's government reopens the debate on populism and polarization: Do they refer to the same phenomenon? What do these categories tell us about the transformations of the present? Does the concept of populism allow us to understand these processes? And, conversely, how do historical phenomena affect the theory of populism? 

This lecture aims to problematize the Argentinian governments labeled as left and right populists (Kirchnerist and libertarian) considering Laclau's theory on populism. From the perspective of the history of concepts, it seeks to examine the relationship between historical cases and populism theory, focusing on its relevance for understanding the challenge that political polarization poses to contemporary democracies.

To learn more join us on 3 November at 9.30-11.30 in the Karolina Eskelin Room (UH Main Building, U3032) at the University of Helsinki's Center Campus for this keynote from Sabrina Morán, with HEPP’s Virpi Salojärvi acting as Chair. 

This event is funded by the European Union, through the , the , and Olena Siden's doctoral project, "Discursive construction of war in French political discourse: case of the Russo-Ukrainian war" (D-COW FPD), which is funded through the , which itself is EU-funded. Views and opinions expressed here and at the symposium are however those of the speaker(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency or the MSCA4Ukraine Consortium. Neither the European Union nor the European Research Executive Agency, nor the MSCA4Ukraine Consortium as a whole nor any individual member institutions of the MSCA4Ukraine Consortium can be held responsible for them.