This course introduces students to core debates relating to the rise of populism and illiberalism in contemporary Europe. It is anchored in a multi-level perspective, covering both the national and the European perspective. The course addresses the conceptual underpinnings and main dimensions of populism and illiberalism, their various empirical manifestations across the European continent today, and the responses that mainstream liberal actors can provide to these developments. It equips students with a solid understanding of the key concepts from populism and illiberalism research and recent developments in this field.
The course is composed of a lecture and accompanying seminar and it is required to enrol in the lecture course in parallel during the same semester. The lecture covers core concepts of populism and illiberalism studies including ideology, organisation, political parties, citizens, and voters. The seminar sessions complement the lecture by allowing students to apply and discuss the concepts covered in the lecture to concrete case studies and to engage in small empirical projects of their own.
- Enseignant·e: Matthieu Guipponi
- Enseignant·e: Natasha Wunsch