'We the People': Demarcating the demos in populist mobilization—the case of the Italian Lega
Date
2021
Authors
Schmidtke, Oliver
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Social Sciences
Abstract
This article is a theoretically guided and empirically based analysis of how populist
movements invoke the notion of the ‘people’ as a cornerstone of their political mobilization. While
the confrontation between the virtuous ‘people’ and the unresponsive elites speaks to how populism
challenges established political actors and institutions, the actual meaning of who the ‘people’ are
and what they represent is shifting and often driven by strategic considerations. Analytically the
article investigates the distinct ways in which nationalism and populism conceptualize and politically
mobilize the notion of the ‘people’. Empirically it focuses on the Italian League and engages in a
discourse analysis of its political campaigns over the past 30 years. Based on this textual analysis of
political campaigns, the article sheds light on how the reference to the ‘people’ has been employed as
this political actor has transformed from a regionalist party advocating for autonomy in Northern
Italy to one taking up the role of a populist-nationalist party at the national level. This case study
allows the author to make a generalizable hypothesis about the nature of identity politics promoted
by populist actors and the way in which the invocation of the ‘people’ and their alleged enemies is
a pivotal political narrative that opens and restricts opportunities for political mobilization. This
interpretative approach also allows for a more concise conceptual understanding of the affinity that
right-wing populists demonstrate toward nativist ideologies.
Description
Keywords
populism, nationalism, regionalism, italy, democracy, party politics, Lega
Citation
Schmidtke, O. (2021). “‘We the People’: Demarcating the demos in populist mobilization—the case of the Italian Lega.” Social Sciences, 10(10), 351. https://doi.org/10.3390/10100351