Conceptualizing Populism about/in/as Religion: illustrations from Nordic Media Sphere

Recent changes in political leadership and the digital saturation of public life have foregrounded the multiple ways in which populism and religion are connected in the Nordic media sphere. A systematic conceptualization of the relationship in political science, the study of religion, and media and communication studies, however, has been slow to develop. We contribute to this conceptual development by suggesting a typology for studying the intersection of religion and populism in the media sphere. Taking inspiration from Robertson, Asprem, and Dyrendal (2018), we focus on investigating populism about, in, and as religion as the relationship appears in the literature. Through these perspectives, we study how populism and religion are defined in relation to each other. This allows us to illuminate the underlying normative assumptions about the relationship as it manifests in the digital media sphere, and offer tools for developing conceptual accuracy and nuance for research on religion and populism. As empirical illustrations in this conceptual show, we use examples based on our previous empirical research on Finnish media. In conclusion, we suggest future avenues for further conceptual and empirical research on populism and religion in the Nordic media sphere and beyond.