Populism as an act of storytelling

Analyzing the climate change narratives of Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg as populist truth-tellers

Bibliographic Data

ID4328678
AuthorsJohan Nordensvärd (0000-0001-8508-4212, Linköping University, corresponding author), Markus Ketola (0000-0003-2958-6255, University of Edinburgh)
Year2022
Volume31
Issue5
Pages861-882
Publication date2022-07-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironmental Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0964-4016 • E-ISSN: 1743-8934
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09644016.2021.1996818
OpenAlexW3209076659
LanguageEN
Citations received34
References cited41

We propose that populism is a storytelling performance that involves a charismatic ‘truth-teller’ and a populist narrative frame. Populist narratives are sensemaking devices that guide people in areas of contestation, uncertainty and complexity where decisions cannot solely rely on rational and formal processes. Populist ‘truth-tellers’ apply a particular narrative frame that pits ‘people’ against the ‘elite’ when interpreting complex problems such as climate change. The aim of this article is one of theory generating, using the cases of Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg to illustrate the idea of populism as storytelling. While their climate change stories are very different, both share an approach that relies on the ‘truth-telling’ character of their hero, applying the same populist narrative frame. These findings add to our understanding of the role emotions and conflicts play in the struggles to make sense of climate change based on particular interests or political agendas

Aesthetics · Art · Charisma · Elite · Epistemology · HERO · Literature · Media studies · Narrative · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Populism · Public relations · Sensemaking · Sociology · Storytelling · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Philosophy · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Rhetoric and Communication Studies

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