Populism in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia poses complex lessons for the rise, fall and return of populist leaders. A combination of economic crisis and weak political parties are often cited as reasons for populist leaders to emerge. We argue that these factors are not enough to explain populism in the region. In this chapter, we examine populism as a performative style enacted by populist leaders that highlights populist politics as emotionally driven performances that pit ‘the people’ against ‘the dangerous other’. Drawing from the cases of Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, we argue that the performative character of populist politics through their rhetoric (appeal to the people) and images highlights the authenticity of the populist leader and allows them to connect to the ‘people’ that they claim to represent. We conclude by identifying opportunities for future investigation in deepening the understanding of populism in the region.