Reflections on Emotions, Populism and Polarisation: HEPP4 Conference Proceedings

The third volume of the HEPP working paper series compiles influential papers presented at the 4th Helsinki Conference on Emotions, Populism, and Polarization (HEPP4) in December 2023, at the University of Helsinki. This event brought together ideas, researchers, and discussions from around the world, enriching the conference with diverse perspectives and fostering cross-cultural dialogues. The papers included in this volume come from various regions and viewpoints, reflecting the different stages of development in this field of study. They provide a comprehensive look into ongoing scholarly discussions about emotions, populism, and polarization, highlighting the complexities in this research area. Emotional rhetoric, false promises, and fake news can affect people with uncertain futures in both the Global South and North. However, belonging and recognition are not only offered by dominant discourses but also by grassroots-level counter- or anti-hegemonic mobilizations, especially visible on online forums. The papers in this volume address questions that have not been thoroughly explored in recent decades: what distinguishes left- and right-wing populism, whether political movements and parties can still fit neatly into one category, and if there is a defining difference between populism in the Global North and South. The papers demonstrate that populist politics is strongly context-specific, both geographically and historically, explaining the variety of political discourses under populism, tied together with rhetoric and emotions. Case studies from Ecuador, Brazil, India, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and Bulgaria offer detailed, time- and location-specific insights into certain populist moments, such as the global pandemic or local and supranational political elections.