Populism and emotions

Many political commentators and researchers argue that populists are more emotional than other political actors. They are said to make use of emotions, affective language and passionate arguments in order to attract voters. This chapter presents an overview of existing research on the role of emotions and affect in populist politics. It begins with a review of how populists are considered ‘too emotional’ to be taken seriously. In opposition to this, the chapter aligns itself with an increasing body of work which considers emotions and affect to be central to any political project, making the populist modus operandi the norm rather than the exception. In particular, the chapter highlights how claims regarding the emotional nature of populists are often used to discredit newcomers to politics, and thus have a distinctly performative and political character.