Populism to a higher potency
From populist rhetoric to ideological fantasy
Keywords:
populism, ideological fantasy, scapegoat, Ernesto Laclau, Slavoj Žižek, Jussi Halla-ahoAbstract
The article deals with the ideological intensification of populism as suggested by today's radical right-wing populism. In Ernesto Laclau’s theory of populism, the “weakness” of populist rhetoric is turned into its strength through the rhetorical charge of “empty” and “floating” signifiers. It is through them that even the ideological turns of populism may become effective. The main focus of the article is on this ideological momentum as grasped by connecting Laclau's approach to Slavoj Žižek's analysis of “ideological fantasy” where ideologies as systems have lost credibility but remain functional through being “cynically” acted out in everyday life. The fantasy surplus needed to bridge unavoidable gaps and contradictions connects with Laclau’s idea of the desire and impossibility for social closure, giving new impetus to the populist inner frontier. The negative empty signifiers of surrogate victims or scapegoats emerge as the “reason” for the obstruction of this desire, as theorized here by René Girard. Building on these ideas, an old blog entry by the present Finnish populist leader Jussi Halla-aho is considered in terms of its combination of formal rationalism and the underlying fantasy surplus of nativism and scapegoating. The article winds up in a consideration of the notion of “the people” and the uses of equality in right-wing populism.
