Populism, Structural Transformations, and Crisis of Representation

Year 2024, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 1 - 22, 17.12.2024

Acar Kutay

Abstract

Populism can be conceptualized as an ideology, discourse, or style of politics. Employing Ernesto Laclau's theory of populism and discourse analysis, this study deconstructs the meanings and articulations of key political concepts within populist discourse and reflects on the structural transformations that precipitate the emergence of populist movements. The discursive approach contributes to populism studies in three distinct aspects. First, it conceptualizes populism as a form of politics and strategy rather than an ideology. Second, it demonstrates that there is no single, objective concept of the people, but rather that this notion can be constructed with various meanings through discourse. Consequently, the homogeneous imagination of the people attributed to populist movements should be viewed as a myth mobilized primarily by right-wing populists. It is equally possible to construct the concept of the people as a pluralistic and democratic subject. Third, discourse analysis examines the structural transformations that pave the way for populism and the meanings that populist movements attribute to these transformations and crises, while problematizing how populists adapt these interpretations to their strategies. This article, drawing on the discursive approach, aims to understand populism as a political strategy while examining the structural causes that lead to its emergence, strengthening, and proliferation in Europe.

Keywords

Populism, Erneston Laclau, Crisis of Representation, Discourse

Populist Söylem, Yapısal Dönüşümler ve Temsiliyet Krizi

Abstract

Popülizm ideoloji, söylem ya da bir siyaset tarzı olarak ele alınmaktadır. Bu makalede popülizm, popülizmin eklemlendiği unsurlar ve popülist hareketlerin ortaya çıkmasına neden olan yapısal dönüşümler, Ernesto Laclau'nun popülizm teorisi ve söylem analizi aracılığıyla ele alınmaktadır. Bu yaklaşım, popülizm çalışmalarına üç farklı açıdan katkı sağlamaktadır. İlki, popülizmi bir ideoloji olarak kabul etmek yerine bir siyaset etme biçimi ve stratejisi olarak benimsemesidir. İkincisi, tek ve nesnel bir halk kavramı olmadığını ve halkın söylem yoluyla farklı anlamlarda kurgulanabileceğini ortaya koymasıdır. Dolayısıyla popülist hareketlere atfedilen homojen halk tahayyülü, yalnızca sağ popülistlerin harekete geçirdiği bir mit olarak görülmelidir. Halk kavramını çoğulcu ve demokratik bir özne olarak inşa etmek de mümkündür. Söylem analizinin üçüncü katkısı, popülizme zemin hazırlayan yapısal dönüşümler ile popülist hareketlerin bu dönüşümlere ve krizlere yükledikleri anlamları irdelemesi ve popülistlerin bunları stratejilerine nasıl uyarladıklarını sorunsallaştırmasıdır. Dolayısıyla bu çalışma popülizmi söylem olarak değerlendiren yaklaşımdan hareketle, popülizmi bir yandan siyasi bir strateji olarak anlamaya çalışırken öte yandan da popülizmin ortaya çıkmasına, güçlenmesine ve Avrupa'da yayılmasına neden olan yapısal nedenleri incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Keywords

Popülizm, Ernesto Laclau, Temsiliyet krizi, Söylem

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