Populism and Science in Europe

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxvi

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2. Populism and Science in Europe

   • Alberta Giorgi, Hande Eslen-Ziya

   Pages 1-24

3. Knowledge, Counter-Knowledge, Pseudo-Science in Populism

   • Hande Eslen-Ziya

   Pages 25-41

4. The Role of Experts in Populist Politics: Toward a Post-foundational Approach

   • Liv Sunnercrantz, Tevfik Murat Yildirim

   Pages 43-65

5. The Populist Challenge to the EU’s Sustainability Policy: Is “More Science” a Legitimate and Viable Response?

   • Thomas Sattich

   Pages 67-89

6. Populism, Science and Covid-19 as a Political Opportunity: The Case of the European Parliament

   • Carlo Berti, Carlo Ruzza

   Pages 91-115

7. On the Emergence of Alt-Science Counterhegemony: The Case of the Finns Party

   • Tuija Saresma, Emilia Palonen

   Pages 117-140

8. The Problematic Relationship Between Science, Politics and Public Opinion in Late Modernity: The Case of the Anti-Vax Movement in Spain and Italy

   • Luca Raffini, Clemente Penalva-Verdú

   Pages 141-162

9. QAnon and Its Conspiracy Milieu: The Italian Case

   • Maria Francesca Murru

   Pages 163-184

10. Scientizing Gender? An Examination of Anti-Gender Campaigns on Social Media, Norway

    • Elisabeth L. Engebretsen

    Pages 185-206

11. Between Populism and Popular Citizenship in Science Conflicts

    • Mette Marie Roslyng

    Pages 207-229

12. Inconvenient Truths? Populist Epistemology and the Case of Portugal

    • Alberta Giorgi

    Pages 231-254

13. Right-Wing Populism and the Trade-Off Between Health and the Economy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison Between Western Europe and the United States

    • Oscar Mazzoleni, Gilles Ivaldi

    Pages 255-284

14. Academic Freedom, Science, and Right-Wing Politics: Interview with Andrea Pető

    • Alberta Giorgi, Hande Eslen-Ziya, Andrea Pető

    Pages 285-293

15. Back Matter

    Pages 295-302

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This book provides the first systematic and comparative analysis of the intersections of populism and science in Europe, from the perspective of political sociology.

Populism is the object of rich scholarly debate over its definition and the best way to approach its study. But until now, little attention has been paid to the relationships between populism and science. Recently, the Covid-19 crisis has exposed the contradictions in this relationship, and this book combines an analysis of the theoretical aspects of the relationship between populism and science with rigorous empirical research.

The theoretical perspectives show populism as a thin-ideology, as discourse and performance, and as a political logic, consider both right-wing and left-wing populism, and focus on leaders as well as citizens. The book also offers an overview of controversies within different fields of ‘science’, including case studies on food science, climate change, vaccination, gender theory, COVID-19, and environmental issues.

The book will be of interest to scholars and students of a number of social science disciplines, including political sociology, political science and political psychology.

• populist politics
• conspiracy theories
• anti-vax movement
• Qanon
• fake news
• trust and politics
• politics and science
• experts

• University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway

  Hande Eslen–Ziya

• University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy

  Alberta Giorgi

Alberta Giorgi is Assistant professor of Sociology of culture and communication at the University of Bergamo, Italy, and chair of the Research Network Political Sociology of the European Sociological Association.