Revisit our ValEUs Lecture “Responding to Populist Parties in Europe – The ‘Other People’ vs the ‘Populist People’” with Angela Bourne at European University Viadrina!
Bourne is a Professor (MOS) in European Politics at Roskilde University. The author of Responding to Populist Parties in Europe and Democratic Defence as ‘Normal Politics’ argues:
Those opposing populist parties often swim in muddy waters, navigating complex questions about whether populist opponents deepen or threaten democracy.
Populists appeal to the ordinary people against the elites, and even would-be autocrats legitimize rule with appeals to popular sovereignty in regular electoral contests. Analogies with the interwar rise of fascism and the postwar communist takeover to the East do not easily fit the reality of today’s Europe.
Populists operate in a globalized, interdependent Europe, with overlapping spheres of territorial governance. In this novel context, we need to understand both the rise of populist parties, but also the constraints of opposition.
Professor Bourne presents research from an international project on how those who disagree with populist parties oppose them in contemporary Europe and asks what kinds of opposition initiatives work, why, and to what ends?
The event is organised in cooperation with the Institute for European Studies of the European University Viadrina (IFES).
Date: 20/01/2025
Venue: European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder)
ValEUs Lecture Series
The ValEUs Project organises a lecture series exploring the contestation of European values in EU foreign policy and its wider implications from a broad perspective. Aimed at scholars, students, civil society actors, and policymakers, this series fosters research exchange and deepens our understanding of contemporary issues and challenges directly impacting and involving the EU. Hosted by partner universities within our consortium, the series invites contributions from diverse voices to enrich the debate.
