Keywords
Populism, Rhetoric, Isolationism, NATO, European Union, globalization
Abstract
In the past decade, numerous populist politicians have won elections across the globe, riding a wave of popularity rooted in simple, yet appealing rhetoric conveying anti-elite, othering, and isolationist messages. Existing literature suggests right-wing populists are associated with rhetoric that incorporates nationalism, and shuns supranational institutions or international treaties, while left-wing populists commonly use rhetoric that opposes globalization. The aim of my thesis is to test these claims, as well as to determine if populists (on theright or left) are more isolationist in their language than establishment parties. An issue within the literature is that it does not contain a detailed breakdown of the three categories in connection with the various parties. Right and left-wing populists’ rhetoric, thus, is not completely analyzed and understood. I address this gap in the literature through employing text-based analysis in my thesis. I do so by identifying and categorizing aspects of populist isolationist rhetoric, within manifestos and speeches. I examine the rhetoric of seventy-two parties and politicians from twenty-eight European countries and the United States to test my hypotheses.
My text-based analysis reveals that left-wing populists show the most opposition to supranational institutions and affairs, while right-wing populists are most likely to utilize specific forms of rhetoric, targeting the European Union. Centrist populist parties emerge as supportive of supranational organizations and entities than any other populist party. I find that populists primarily discuss the European Union, NATO and globalization more so than they discuss entities like the United Nations, international law and international police forces (Interpol).
Thesis Completion Year
2024
Thesis Completion Semester
Fall
Thesis Chair
Turcu, Anca
College
College of Sciences
Department
School of Politics, Security and International Affairs
Thesis Discipline
International Relations
Language
English
Access Status
Campus Access
Length of Campus Access
5 years
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Donahue, Hailey A., "The Appropriation Of Isolationist Rhetoric By Populist Politicians" (2024). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 170.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/170
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