Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The paper re-appraises the populist challenge by framing it as part of a broader deliberative turn in global politics (Parkinson, 2018). As opposed to viewing populism as an existential threat to the globalized liberal order, the paper investigates the communicative properties of populist movements. It argues that certain populist movements harbor significant dialogic, self-reflexive, and nominally respectful characteristics (Habermas, 1981). Ultimately, these deliberative elements help reinforce prevailing liberal values such as pluralism, free inquiry, and democratic participation by introducing fresh, even counter hegemonic ideas into the political ether, which stirs our collective imagination and contributes to a global deliberative system (De Cleen et al, 2018; Mouffe, 2018; Ingram 2017). Insofar as deliberative populism represents a system disruption and not a complete system breakdown, it can offer valuable discursive opportunity structures for innovative or even radical ideas (Mudde, 2017; March, 2017). Thus, the paper situates populist movements in the global deliberative family. Through a series of brief case studies and a critical discourse analysis of source material, the paper investigates how populists have inspired, built, and sustained discourses on a range of social policy issues across Europe. By expanding the boundaries of what is considered deliberative to include disruptive politics (Smith, 2018), we can begin to re-frame the debate around populism and understand how periodic and robust system disruption can help reinvigorate global discursive democracy, and help re-conceive of globalization beyond market liberalism.