Sebastián Ronderos
As political crises and social unrest proliferate worldwide, the appeal of populism growssteadily in various fora, including academic fora. In this respect, an abundance of scholarlypublications has sought, through the study of populism, to unravel important aspects ofcontemporary political and social dynamics. Discourse theory scholars, in particular, haveplayed an important role in pushing the boundaries of populism studies forward. They havechallenged objectivist perspectives in the (social) sciences by foregrounding the role ofmeaning-making and by treating populism as a discursive logic that better characterises thepolitical (dis)articulation of social reality. In situating its analytical focus at the frontier ofpopulism studies, this paper-based dissertation contributes to this literature from both anempirical and a theoretical point of view.Through the four papers which make up this thesis, I contribute to discourse theory bypresenting three main lines of analysis in the study of populism in Brazil, a case that isfrequently referenced but which remains under-explored. Firstly, by exploring Brazil’s fourthrepublican period (1946-1964), this thesis shows how populism is best understood as both aconcept and a signifier, revealing the way the dynamic interplay of populism discourses shapeour sense of social reality. Secondly, by studying a leading magazine with an upmarketreadership in Brazil (Veja), I explore the affective force running through anti-populistdiscursive articulations, affirming the value of the category of fantasy from an empirical andanalytical point of view. Thirdly, by focusing on the collective candidacy of the BancadaAtivista in the Sao Paulo State elections, I explore the potential of the concept of populism,conceived as a logic, to shed light on aspects of political life beyond populist phenomena
