The Emotional Politics of Populism: Eva Illouz's Analysis
How political power weaponizes public emotions like fear and resentment to maintain control.
1The Paradox of Populist Support
Sociologist Eva Illouz explores why low-income voters frequently support pro-capitalist leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. Despite policies that often exacerbate economic inequality, these figures maintain robust support bases. Illouz argues that this phenomenon is not accidental but a result of political power strategically weaponizing the emotions of the public.
2From Deprivation to Political Narrative
Populism originates from concrete experiences of loss, such as neighborhood decline or job disappearance. Political actors transform these realistic feelings of deprivation into intense anger and resentment. By framing complex economic issues as simple stories of victims and perpetrators, leaders successfully shift public focus toward polarizing identity politics and away from structural causes.
3Four Pillars of Populist Emotion
The book categorizes the emotions mobilized by populism into four distinct types: fear, disgust, resentment, and love. Fear justifies the restriction of civil liberties, while disgust degrades political opponents into sources of contamination. Resentment encourages attachment to past wounds, and love is weaponized to suppress internal criticism and justify external violence.
4The Mechanism of Fear
Fear serves as a primary tool for populist leaders to ensure public compliance. By constantly reminding the electorate of threats to security and survival, leaders convince citizens to voluntarily accept the limitation of their fundamental rights. This psychological manipulation makes the public more susceptible to authoritarian measures under the guise of protection.
5Exclusion Through Disgust
Disgust functions as an exclusionary emotion that redefines political debate. Instead of viewing opponents as legitimate participants in a democratic process, populists frame them as disgusting entities or sources of social pollution. This rhetoric effectively dehumanizes the 'other,' making it easier for supporters to justify exclusion and harsh treatment of specific groups.
6Resentment and Identity Politics
Resentment, or 'ressentiment,' prevents structural change by keeping the focus on the injury itself. Rather than addressing the root causes of economic hardship, this emotion encourages individuals to remain attached to their suffering. Leaders exploit this by positioning themselves as the only ones who truly understand and validate the voters' pain.
7Nationalism and Weaponized Love
Love is utilized to bind the collective identity, often manifesting as extreme nationalism. When combined with group identity, this emotion suppresses internal dissent and frames violence against external groups as a necessary act of defense. It creates a closed loop where questioning the leader is perceived as an act of betrayal against the nation.
8Global Relevance of the Study
Although Illouz focuses primarily on the Israeli context, her analysis of 'emotional capitalism' resonates globally. As an expert in how emotions are commodified and linked to power, her work provides a framework for understanding similar political shifts in France, the Philippines, and beyond, highlighting the universal nature of modern emotional politics.
Original article: Kyunghyang — The Emotional Politics of Populism: Eva Illouz's Analysis