Populism and Populist Discourse in North America

This book explores the origins and development of populism in Canada and the United States, focusing on five historical periods: the Populist Party of the 1890s, Prairie Populism, the Reform Party of Canada, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, and Ford Nation. It extends Ernesto Laclaus' analysis of populism as a "logic of populist reason" to explore how a "people come into being in their conflict or clash with an elite." The author examines the linguistic media used in populist discourse to convey a political message and articulate the needs, wishes, and will of a newly born "people."

Format: Hardback
Length: 268 pages
Publication date: 02 January 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate origins and evolution of populism in Canada and the United States, tracing its development into a potent and, at times, unsettling political force. Spanning five historical periods, the book explores the Populist Party of the United States in the 1890s, Prairie Populism in Canada during the early and mid-20th century, the Reform Party of Canada in the 1980s and 90s, the 'left and 'right populism of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump in the early 21st century, and the phenomenon of Ford Nation in modern-day Ontario, Canada.

Drawing upon Ernesto Laclaus's analysis of populism as a "logic in On Populist Reason (2005), the author expands upon this framework to examine how a "people" emerge in their conflicts or clashes with an "elite," as defined by Chartists in the 19th century as "idlers." This book offers a profound contrast between "producers" and "non-producers."

Furthermore, the author delves into the linguistic media employed in populist discourse, including speeches, books, radio, Twitter, Facebook, and more, to convey political messages and articulate the needs, wishes, and will of a newly born "people" in various guises and expressions. From "the plain people" to "the little guy" or "brothers and sisters," populist discourse employs a rich vocabulary to connect with and mobilize the masses.

This volume is of immense interest to researchers across a wide range of interdisciplinary fields, including discourse analysis, corpus linguistics, pragmatics, rhetoric and stylistics, political communication, social movements theory, media studies, and Canadian and American history. By examining the historical roots.

Weight: 474g
Dimension: 216 x 154 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031085215
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022