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The rhetorical contestation of populism in four European parliaments (2010–2020)

Bibliographic Data

ID8041857
AuthorsMatteo Cm Casiraghi (0000-0003-0851-6311, University of Milan, corresponding author), Margherita Bordignon (0000-0003-0621-1477, University of Milan)
Year2022
Volume46
Issue1
Pages173-195
Publication date2022-01-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueWest European Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0140-2382 • E-ISSN: 1743-9655
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01402382.2021.2013655
OpenAlexW4205625673
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited61

Studies of the discursive aspect of populism have tended to focus on the rhetorical manifestations of populist discourses, namely how populist politicians ‘talk politics’. However, scant attention has been devoted to how politicians rhetorically characterise the concept of populism itself. This article investigates a corpus ( N = 4.835) of parliamentary debates in Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, to assess the different definitions of populism used by politicians and explain any variations found. Results show that the ways that politicians describe populism vary cross-nationally in terms of topics, adjectives and targets. A more positive attitude towards populism is likely for politicians who express anti-elitism and opposition to multiculturalism and corruption, regardless of the topic under discussion. Moreover, the effect of political ideology on politicians’ attitudes towards populism is more pronounced when economic topics are under discussion. Discussing these findings, this study offers interesting implications for the literature on populism, parliamentary affairs, party politics and text analysis. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2021.2013655

Democracy · Elitism · Ideology · Linguistics · Media studies · Opposition (politics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Populism · Rhetoric · Rhetorical question · Sociology · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Media Influence and Politics · Populism, Right-Wing Movements

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Unique citing works8
Citations per year4
Citation span2024 - 2026 (3)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 8
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