Affect, Rhetoric, and Identity

In this presentation, I propose a novel understanding of populism as a political /rhetorical strategy rather than ideology, discourse or political logic. I argue that affect, or emotional attachment to an identity, precedes rhetoric. Rhetoric serves as a means of explaining and justifying this affective investment. Drawing on the insights of Laclau, Toulmin, Burke, and Copjec, I contend that affect is a fundamental force that subverts logic and meaning.

The Rhetoricity of the Social

Laclau and traditional rhetoricians view rhetoric as a means of representing the social that is otherwise heterogeneous, or as the persuasive aspect of communication. My perspective expands on this by emphasizing the goal-oriented nature of discourse and its role in shaping the social world. The inherent fragmentation and inconsistency of the social world make it difficult to articulate consistent identities.

I argue that our sense of the social world is primarily shaped by affective orientation rather than discursive patterns. Affective investment in collectivities, whether identity categories, social movements, or other groups, defies meaning and articulation. These collectivities are formed around affect, which functions as a magnet drawing diverse elements together. In political discourse, affect is often created through the perception of threat, which in turn produces a sense of community or solidarity.

Populist Strategy: Moral Panics

The populist far-right rhetorical strategy is centered on provoking sustained moral panics. These emotional events, which focus on issues like immigration, drugs, or cultural/moral norms, produce strong connections to the populist right's message of restoring order and tradition. By appealing to emotions, they produce affective investment in cultural identities against the "cultural elites" defining elites based on their cultural and moral characteristics rather than class status. This transforms our ontological horizon, emphasizing cultural differences as the fundamental basis for social division or unity.