1st Edition
Popular Music and the Rise of Populism in Europe
This book focuses on the role of popular music in the rise of populism in Europe, centering on the music-related processes of sociocultural normalization and the increasing prevalence of populist discourses in contemporary society. In its innovative combination of approaches drawing from (ethno)musicology, sociology, and political science, as well as media and cultural studies, this book develops a culture-oriented approach to populism. Based on shared research questions, an original theoretical framework and a combination of innovative methodologies that pay attention to the specific socio-historical contexts, taking into account musical material as well as processes of reception, the five chapters in this volume offer detailed analyses of the nexus of popular music and populism in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Sweden. All of these countries have seen a marked increase in populist parties and discourses over the last years, as well as significant interactions between populism and popular music. This book will be essential reading for those investigating popular music as a crucial aspect in the study of populism as a cultural phenomenon in Europe.
Popular music and the rise of populism in Europe: An introduction
Mario Dunkel and Melanie Schiller
1. Populist discourses in pro-government, anti-government, and anti-elite songs in Hungary under the Orbán regime
Emília Barna and Ágnes Patakfalvi-Czirják
2. Playing “Italianness” in popular music: National populism and music in contemporary Italy
Manuela Caiani and Enrico Padoan
3. “I wanna get back home”: Performing a populist Austrian homeland in popular music
André Doehring and Kai Ginkel
4. Populism in the land of pop: The Sweden Democrats, popular music, and the performance of heroic averageness
Melanie Schiller
5. Pop stars as voice of the people: Xavier Naidoo, Andreas Gabalier and the performance of populism during the Covid-19 pandemic
Mario Dunkel and Reinhard Kopanski
Afterword: Popular music and populism in Europe
Mario Dunkel and Melanie Schiller
Index
Biography
Mario Dunkel is Assistant Professor for Music Education with a focus on transcultural music mediation at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg.
Melanie Schiller is Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Popular Music at the University of Groningen.
“The great strength of this fascinating collection is that it does indeed show how popular music is linked to the rise of populism in Europe. With its subtle and sophisticated case studies and its careful framing, this book reveals the political importance of music and the cultural roots of populism.”
John Street, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of East Anglia
"This wonderful collection shows that populism is more than just parties, movements and leaders – it extends into popular culture as well. Theoretically-imaginative and empirically-rigorous, it considers the intersection of populism and popular music in Europe, and opens up new avenues for thinking about how populism operates in the 21st century.”
Benjamin Moffitt, Associate Professor of Politics, Australian Catholic University“Popular Music and the Rise of Populism in Europe by Mario Dunkel and Melanie Schiller is an original and thought-provoking exploration into the entanglement of populism and popular culture. The volume presents a culture-centric lens to understand the rise of populism in contemporary Europe, thereby making a very welcome contribution to an increasingly saturated field of research. A must-read for scholars and students of populism who are interested in understanding the multifaceted dimensions of populist influences.”
Léonie de Jonge, Assistant Professor in European Politics & Society, University of Groningen
