Populism Lecture

The Global Rise of Populism

A public forum and Q&A with academics from the School of Humanities and the School of Social Sciences at the University of Western Australia

Nigel Farage’s Brexit, Donald Trump’s presidency and Pauline Hanson’s comeback to Australian politics have all been labelled examples of populism. What was unthinkable a few years ago has become a reality. The revival of nationalism, xenophobia, economic and political isolationism and the mistrust of the elites appealed to many voters disappointed with traditional politics. The media has compared the new realities to the rise of National Socialism in Europe in the 1930s. However, a truly global perspective that includes the rise of populism in non-Western societies has received less attention. If the analogy to the 1930s is right but the scale of the populist phenomenon is bigger, are we heading for a global conflict that is greater than WWII? What can ordinary citizens do?

In this public forum and Q&A, scholars from the University of Western Australia discussed the causes, current forms and possible consequences of populism in Australia, France, India, Indonesia, Turkey, the UK and the USA.

This event was co-sponsored by the Migration, Mobilities and Belonging (MMoB) research cluster at the University of WesternAustralia and the Institute of Advanced Studies.

Panellists

Dr Greg Acciaioli, Anthropology and Sociology, School of Social Sciences. Panel topic: Islamic Populism in Indonesia.

Dr Ethan Blue, History, School of Humanities. Panel topic: Populism in the USA and mass deportations.

Associate Professor Rob Cover, Media and Communication, School of Social Sciences. Panel topic: Counter-mobilities:populism, anti-immigration and anti-liberal elites.

Associate Professor Romit Dasgupta, Asian Studies, School of Social Sciences. Panel topic: Turkey: Shifting Contours in the 21st Century.

Associate Professor Farida Fozdar, Anthropology and Sociology, School of Social Sciences. Panel topic: Populism in Australia.

Professor Hélène Jaccomard, European Languages and Studies, School of Humanities. Panel topic: Antiestablishment rhetoric and the rise of populism in France.

Dr Alka Sabharwal, Anthropology and Sociology, School of Social Sciences. Panel topic: Indian populism: Liberal Democracy and the case of religious nationalism.

Discussion moderator: Dr Andrzej Gwizdalski, Honorary Research Fellow, Anthropology and Sociology, School of Social Sciences.