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Emotions and Political Narratives: Populism, Trump and Trade

Author

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  • Amy Skonieczny

    (Department of International Relations, San Francisco State University, USA)

Abstract

In 2016, a wave of American populism triggered emotional reactions to issues like trade and immigration, and dramatically impacted the Obama administration’s plans to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during President Obama’s final year in office. This article asks how do emotions infuse populism with political power, and why was populism effective in sparking American economic nationalism and retreat from free trade during the 2016 presidential campaign? Drawing on a psychoanalytic, narrative framework, the article argues that populist narratives deployed by US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders characterized the American economy as a story of the people versus corrupt elites offering greater audience resonance that ultimately derailed President Obama’s plan to pass the TPP and ushered in an era of economic nationalism under President Trump. The article contributes to the literature on emotions and foreign policy and explores the under-studied emotional features of populism as a discursive narrative.

Suggested Citation

  • Amy Skonieczny, 2018. "Emotions and Political Narratives: Populism, Trump and Trade," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(4), pages 62-72.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v:6:y:2018:i:4:p:62-72
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Amy Skonieczny, 2018. "Trading with the enemy: narrative, identity and US trade politics," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 441-462, July.
    2. Jason Glynos & Robin Klimecki & Hugh Willmott, 2012. "Cooling Out The Marks," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(3), pages 297-320, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Alex Prior & Yuri van Hoef, 2018. "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Emotions in Politics and International Relations," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(4), pages 48-52.
    2. Trineke Palm, 2018. "Interwar Blueprints of Europe: Emotions, Experience and Expectation," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(4), pages 135-143.
    3. Anne-Kathrin Weber, 2018. "The Pitfalls of “Love and Kindness”: On the Challenges to Compassion/Pity as a Political Emotion," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(4), pages 53-61.
    4. Tereza Capelos & Stavroula Chrona, 2018. "The Map to the Heart: An Analysis of Political Affectivity in Turkey," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(4), pages 144-158.

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