This first volume includes conference proceedings from the Second HEPPsinki Conference on Emotions, Populism and Polarisation (HEPP2), organised virtually on 3-5 May 2021 at the University of Helsinki. This volume hosts fifteen papers that combine theoretical, case-based, and thematic perspectives on populism, polarisation, and emotions.
The second volume was published after the Third HEPPsinki Conference on Emotions, Populism and Polarisation (HEPP3) containing four working papers presented on 15-17 June 2022 at the University of Helsinki. The volume brings together cases from Belarus, Nigeria, Poland, and Russia, and provides nuanced perspectives on the role of emotions and media platforms in populism and polarisation.
The third volume of the HEPP working paper series contains conference proceedings from the Fourth HEPPsinki Conference on Emotions, Populism and Polarisation, held in Helsinki on 11-13 January 2023. The volume addresses timely questions like what distinguishes left- and right-wing populism, whether political movements and parties can still fit neatly into one category, and if there is a defining difference between populism in the Global North and South.
You can find the previous volumes below and in the University of Helsinki Open Repository Helda (ISSN 2737-3657).
The third volume of the HEPP working paper series compiles influential papers presented at the 4th Helsinki Conference on Emotions, Populism, and Polarization (HEPP4) in December 2023, at the University of Helsinki. This event brought together ideas, researchers, and discussions from around the world, enriching the conference with diverse perspectives and fostering cross-cultural dialogues. The papers included in this volume come from various regions and viewpoints, reflecting the different stages of development in this field of study. They provide a comprehensive look into ongoing scholarly discussions about emotions, populism, and polarization, highlighting the complexities in this research area. Emotional rhetoric, false promises, and fake news can affect people with uncertain futures in both the Global South and North. However, belonging and recognition are not only offered by dominant discourses but also by grassroots-level counter- or anti-hegemonic mobilizations, especially visible on online forums. The papers in this volume address questions that have not been thoroughly explored in recent decades: what distinguishes left- and right-wing populism, whether political movements and parties can still fit neatly into one category, and if there is a defining difference between populism in the Global North and South. The papers demonstrate that populist politics is strongly context-specific, both geographically and historically, explaining the variety of political discourses under populism, tied together with rhetoric and emotions. Case studies from Ecuador, Brazil, India, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and Bulgaria offer detailed, time- and location-specific insights into certain populist moments, such as the global pandemic or local and supranational political elections.
Table of content
Kleber Carrilho, Laura Horsmanheimo & Katinka Linnamäki: Introduction (pp. 1-5)
Pragya Yadav: Beyond Borders: Hindutva, Nationalism, and the Global South's De-Westernized Populism (pp. 6-20)
Luiz-Alberto de Farias & Vânia Penafieri: Brazil: Digital Articulations on Political-Electoral Behavior (pp. 21-30)
Kleber Carrilho, Marina Fontolan, Eurídice Hernandez & Giselle Silva: Polarisation and Disinformation in Brazil's COVID-19 Vaccination Onset on X (former Twitter) (pp. 31-43)
Ágnes Virág: “…Cannot Be Too Picky…!” Populist Features of Viktor Orbán’s Figure in Caricatures (pp. 44-62)
Alessandro Volpi: Political Theology and Political Hauntology: About the Logic of Populism in Laclau through Schmitt (pp. 63-69)
Nevio Moreschi: The Nature of Environmental Preservation in Rafael Correa Speeches: Left-Wing Narratives, Populist Framing and Extractivism (pp. 70-85)
Zichen Hu: Diving Deep into the Dynamic Networks and Emergent Publics in Vaccine Conspiracy Theories in the COVID-19: (Not Just) Fringe Communities on 4chan, 8chan and Reddit (pp. 86-101)
Srijan Basu Mallick: Populism in India: Identity Formation and Community Mobilization (pp. 102-115)
Diana Petkova: Populism and Conspiracy Theories during the Pandemic of Covid-19: Rethinking Rumor Theories in the Eastern European Context (pp. 116-128)
Elena Berezkina: The Discourse Transformation of the Italian Right-wing Populist Parties: From Nationalism to Medium Euroscepticism (pp. 129-140)
Martina Švecová: The Role of Social (Political) Identity and Mediated “Reality” in Voter Behaviour (Case Study Slovakia) (pp. 141-158)
The second volume, derived from the Third HEPP Conference on Emotions, Populism, and Polarisation (HEPP3), brings together four thought-provoking papers that engage with the key themes of the conference. The first paper, “Emotions and Cultural Codes in Satirical Cartoons on the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Case Study of Nigeria,” examines artistic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on Nigeria—a country renowned for its rich tradition of satirical press cartoons and esteemed artists. The second paper, “The Emotional Identity: How Auto-affirmative Identity Politics Evokes Feelings of Self-esteem and Worthiness,” offers an analysis of the emotional underpinnings of the populist movement in Poland. Continuing the exploration of memory culture, the third paper, “Antagonism of Cultural Heritage Preservation Discourses in St. Petersburg,” delves into the emotive struggles surrounding heritage preservation in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. The fourth paper, “Platforms and Infrastructures of Political Populism in Belarus in the 2020s,” focuses on the unfinished democratic revolution and authoritarian counterrevolution in Belarus between 2020 and 2022. Each paper offers a unique lens through which to explore the complex dynamics of emotions, populism, and polarisation. By examining various case-based contexts and employing diverse methodologies, the volume provides nuanced perspectives on the role of emotions and media platforms in populism and polarisation.
Table of content
Rūta Kazlauskaitė: Introduction (pp. 1-2)
Patrycja Kozieł: Emotions and Cultural Codes in Satirical Cartoons on the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case Study of Nigeria (pp. 3-16)
Siarhei Liubimau: Platforms and Infrastructures of Political Populism in Belarus in the 2020s (pp. 17-23)
Miriam Sokalski: The Emotional Identity: How auto-affirmative Identity Politics evokes feelings of self-esteem and worthiness (pp. 24-48)
Anna Sosnovskaya: Antagonism of cultural heritage preservation discourses in St. Petersburg (pp. 49-60)
This volume hosts fifteen papers that bring together theoretical, case-based and thematic perspectives on populism, polarisation and emotions. It features proposals for theoretical and methodological innovations, as well as national and regional insights from Brazil, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Romania and Turkey. In collecting these papers for publication, while aiming for a diversity of topics and regions, we were excited to find such strong interconnections between papers that were consistent with the themes of interest for us at the HEPPsinki research group. These include the following links between polarisation and negative/positive emotions, the context of populism formation and the role played by media in the process, country-specific contemporary and historical explorations and, importantly, the political effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and its (mis-)management.
Table of content:
Laura-Elena Sibinescu: Introduction (pp. 1-3)
P. Muhammed Afzal: “We are Doing Better”: Local Pride, Collective Identity, and the Question of Populism in Kerala (pp. 4-8)
Ahmad Bostani: A Phenomenological Approach to Populism and Imagination (pp. 9-15)
Furkan Çay & Murat Deregözü: The Early Turkish Populism (pp. 16-21)
Ybiskay González: Political Polarisation: A Revisited Concept (pp. 22-29)
Andreea-Roxana Gușă: Corruption as a rhetorical strategy of the populist parties. Case study: The 2020 electoral campaign for the Romanian Parliament of The Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (pp. 30-38)
Martina Insero: Affective dimension of Political Polarization. The role of Empathy (pp. 39-47)
Daniel Keil: Covid-19, the Crisis of the European Union, and the heterogeneous Far-Right in Europe – The importance of the Far Right’s Imagination of Europe before and after the Covid-Crisis (pp. 47-60)
Minna-Kerttu Kekki: Learning by media-based public debate as increasing or decreasing polarization (pp. 61-69)
Eliana Regina Lopes Loureiro: Fake news, populism, polarisation, and emotions in Brazil COVID-19 narratives (pp. 70-80)
Marcela Lins: For a Genealogy of Suspension: Biopolitics and Health Crises in Brazil in Three Moments (pp. 81-89)
Dario Mazzola: Populism and the Radicalization of Democracy. The Frontiers of Democratization (pp. 90-98)
Saija Räsänen: Polarizing media populism during government crises in Finland and in Italy (pp. 99-110)
Patrick Sawyer: Populism and Conspiracy Theories (pp. 111-123)
Sergio Schargel: A Brazil of two Brazils: How populism and fascism enlightens integralism and Bolsonarism (pp. 124-132)
Sophie Schmalenberger: Far-Right Populism as Affective Dissent (pp. 133-143