Why is the populist radical left and the populist radical right on the rise across Western Europe? While populist left parties gained power during the European financial crisis in Southern Europe, the migration crisis reinforced the populist far-right spectre in North-Western Europe. Meanwhile, Eastern European mainstream parties seem to turn their back towards Europe, blending populist right discourses on ethnic homogeneity with authoritarian frames. This course addresses the European "populist crisis" from a multi-disciplinary perspective, shedding light on the trajectories of populism during the European financial crisis, the migration crisis, and during COVID-19 through the lenses of political behaviour, political psychology, and political communication. It links key events in recent political developments to structural changes--like digitalization and globalization--that are increasingly transforming European societies. We address both the reasons for populist success on the one side, and the consequences for European societies and the European project on the other side.
- Trainer/in: Julia Schulte-Cloos