Emotions in bottom-up demand for populist far-right narratives and top-down construction of racialized, classed, and gendered identities in diverse political systems and cultures
We invite proposals for contributions to a Special Issue of the Journal Politics, Groups, and Identities focusing on “Emotions in bottom-up demand for populist far-right narratives and top-down construction of racialized, classed, and gendered identities in diverse political systems and cultures”
Link to Taylor & Francis website: https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issues/emotions-in-bottom-up-demand-for-populist-far-right-narratives-and-top-down-construction-of-racialized-classed-and-gendered-identities-in-diverse-political-systems-and-cultures/
In recent years, the social sciences have witnessed a burgeoning interest in narratives that wave emotions with the various dimensions of social identities, in relation to the rise of the far-right and the propagation of populist communication strategies and practices across the political spectrum. This focus has been prominent since emotions have been seen playing a pivotal role in the construction of national narratives that contributes to political polarization and extremism. Despite extensive research on far-right populist parties and pleaders, a significant gap remains in the understanding of how far-right populist narratives reproduce themselves amongst diverse social groups and political systems cultures. Most studies have also fallen short of examining how far-right populism capitalize over logics of aggregation that saturate their rendition of race, gender, class and sexuality as well as the role that these dimensions of our social identities play in the construction of exclusionary national imaginary and politics. This gap can be bridged by focusing on the so-called demand side of politics, namely on the emotions that move people to support political parties and movements. Moreover, research may focus on the social, cultural, and political roots that generate socio-political phenomena that cut across individual leaders, regional contexts and public debates. Far right populism has risen in different geopolitical contexts and shown an unprecedented capacity for adaptation to – and influence in – diverse political cultures. To fully grasp the success of far-right populism beyond any borders, this special issue pretends to examine the role that narratives (and/or discourses, framing, storytelling) and emotions (and/or affects, passions, sentiments, feelings, moods, dispositions and attitudes) play in the saturation of far-right understanding of race, class, gender and sexuality, and related formation of socio-political identities and ´intergroup´ relations. Rather than focusing primarily on the provide side of politics, this special issue aims to unravel how social groups that are differently marked by far-right rendition of race, class, gender, and sexuality, e part take to the propagation of populism in different political cultures, paying particular attention to the processes and mechanisms through which they contribute to the spread of populist rhetoric, ideologies and practices. Conversely, this issue also aims to explore whether alternative understandings of race, class, sexuality and gender, and related accounts of national belonging challenge the appeal of far-right populism or reinforce it.
We invite papers from a range of political and social sciences and humanities disciplines that explore how emotions interact with dimensions of social identity (race, gender, class, sexuality) to shape political judgments, mobilize collective action, and propagate populist ideologies and practices. Contributions should also consider how alternative discourses and narratives around social identities might either challenge or reinforce far-right populist appeal.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Emotional dynamics underpinning support for far-right populism
- The intersectionality of race, class, gender, and sexuality in populist narratives
- Mechanisms through which populist rhetoric shapes intergroup relations and polarization
- Comparative analysis of populist adaptations in diverse political systems and cultures
- Counter-narratives and resistance strategies challenging exclusionary populism
- Affective and partisan polarisation and social issues (migration, defence, housing, education…)
- Emotive mobilization, religion and protest
- Reproductive rights and polarised discourses
- Determinants of populist and exclusionary attitudes
- Affective economies and the circulation of emotions in far-right discourse
- Online affective publics: digital media, memes, and the virality of populist emotions
- Emotions and the embodiment of populist ideology in everyday practices
- Gendered affect and emotional scripts in far-right mobilizations (e.g., maternalism, masculinity, victimhood)
- Emotional appeals in far-right communication and their impact on political socialization
- The role of popular culture and media in emotional dissemination of far-right messages
- Emotional infrastructures of racial capitalism in populist rhetoric
- Reactions to demographic change and migration through emotional registers of fear and loss
- The mobilization of shame, pride, or humiliation in populist framings of national decline and renewal
- Transnational circulation of far-right narratives (e.g., global Islamophobia, anti-feminism, Great Replacement theory)
- Emotions as resistance: hope, solidarity, and care in counter-populist identity formations
- Psycho-social analyses of emotional resonance in the uptake of far-right discourses
- Emotional reconfigurations of citizenship and belonging in exclusionary populist regimes
- The emotional politics of conspiracy theories and moral panics linked to far-right agendas
- Youth, emotions, and far-right engagement: intergenerational perspectives
- Affective alliances and emotional contagion across global far-right movements
- Emotional dimensions of populist securitization and governance practices
- Emotional geographies of populism: space, place, and the affective mapping of threats and belonging
Guest Editors:
- Cristiano Gianolla, Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra (CES-UC) https://ces.uc.pt/en/ces/pessoas/investigadoras-es/cristiano-gianolla
- Maria Elena Indelicato, Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra (CES-UC) https://ces.uc.pt/pt/ces/pessoas/investigadoras-es/maria-elena-indelicato
- Manuel João Cruz, Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra (CES-UC) https://ces.uc.pt/pt/ces/pessoas/investigadoras-es-em-pos-doutoramento/manuel-joao-cruz
- Lisete S. M. Mónico, Centre for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), University of Coimbra https://www.cienciavitae.pt/portal/en/021C-D4CF-FB7C
Submission Instructions
- The special issue admits original research articles
- Abstracts (max 250 words) should clearly outline the scope, theoretical framework, methods, and contribution of the proposed paper.
- Include a short bio note (max 100 words per each author)
- Select the Special Issue title “Emotions in bottom-up demand for populist far-right narratives and top-down construction of racialized, classed, and gendered identities in diverse political systems and cultures” when submitting your paper to ScholarOne.
Important Dates:
- Abstract submission deadline: 1 October 2025 to: unpop@ces.uc.pt
- Notification of acceptance of abstracts: 31 October 2025
- Submission of full paper for selected abstracts: 31 December, 2025
- Notification of progression to peer review process: 31 January 2026
Source: Politics, Groups, and Identities (Taylor and Francis)
