Event Details

Populist right-wing politics is moving centre-stage, with some parties reaching the very top of the electoral ladder: but do we know why, and why now?

In this lecture, Professor Ruth Wodak addresses why these parties have moved from the margins of the political landscape to enter the mainstream, and how they are transforming from fringe voices to persuasive political actors. Central among the traits of populist right-wing politics is its divisiveness and appeal to “the people”. Join us to consider how populist parties are producing and reproducing such ideologies in campaigns, posters, slogans and speeches, and to think about the reasons for their success. The lecture will be followed by the opportunity to ask questions.

Speaker Information

Professor Ruth Wodak is Emeritus Distinguished Professor at Lancaster University. Her research interests focus on discourse studies, national and European identity politics, media communication, racism, antisemitism and other forms of discrimination. Her monograph, entitled The Politics of Fear - What Right-Wing Populist Discourses Mean, was awarded the Austrian Scientific Book Prize for the Social Sciences and Humanities in February 2017. In it, she focuses on the ideologies, histories, rhetoric, performance and argumentation of populist right-wing parties and politicians across Europe, compared with movements in the US.

Doors will open at 6pm, and the 45 minute lecture will begin at 6.30pm and be followed by the opportunity to ask questions. Refreshments will be provided