Right-wing populism in Europe & USA

TLDR

Right‑wing populist parties have surged across Europe and the USA, generating widespread media attention, election concerns, and a shift in public discourse that has turned earlier anxieties into genuine fear. The issue seeks to analyze the recent sudden rise of right‑wing populism. The authors analyze the nature, state‑of‑the‑art, and ontological foundations of contemporary right‑wing populism, arguing that its rise is enduring rather than fleeting.

Abstract

Abstract In recent years and months, new information about the rise of right-wing populist parties (RWPs) in Europe and the USA has dominated the news and caused an election scare among mainstream institutions and politicians. The unpredictable successes of populists (e.g. Donald Trump in the USA in 2016) have by now transformed anxieties into legitimate apprehension and fear. This Special Issue addresses the recent sudden upsurge of right-wing populism. It responds to many recent challenges and a variety of 'discursive shifts' and wider dynamics of media and public discourses that have taken place as a result of the upswing of right-wing populism (RWP) across Europe and beyond. We examine not only the nature or the state-of-the-art of contemporary RWP but also point to its ontology within and beyond the field of politics and argue that the rise and success of RWP is certainly not a recent or a momentary phenomenon.