Oddział Krakowski Polskiego Towarzystwa Socjologicznego, Sekcja Socjologii Płci Polskiego Towarzystwa Socjologicznego oraz Instytut Socjologii UJ serdecznie zapraszają na wykład otwarty prof. Richarda Mole'a (UCL): Homophobia, collective narcissism and populist politics in Poland

Wykład odbędzie się 20 kwietnia 2023 o godz. 18 w Instytucie Socjologii UJ (Grodzka 52) w czytelni biblioteki Instytutu (sala kominkowa, I piętro). Więcej informacji w wydarzeniu facebookowym.

Richard C. M. Mole, UCL

In the first half of my presentation I show how populist media in Poland other the LGBT community as a means of consolidating the identity of the in-group, i.e. the people in whose name populists claim to speak. In line with Moffitt, I argue that ‘populists do not speak to or for some pre-existing ‘people’ but arguably bring the subject known as ‘the people’ into being through the process of naming, performance or articulation’ (2016: 24). Following Graff and Korolczuk, I also argue that the ‘people’ is defined less by what unites them and more in opposition to a ‘common enemy’ (2022: 21). The first part of the presentation thereby assesses the role of right-wing media outlets, such as Gazeta Polska, in fomenting homophobia and analyses the mechanisms through which populist media discursively construct the identity of the ‘people’ by othering sexual minorities. Building on previous research which shows how discourse constructing homosexuality as a threat to the nation is used by populist actors to legitimise homophobic rhetoric and behaviour, the second half of my presentation examines the extent to which populist nationalism – understood here as national collective narcissism – predicts homophobic prejudice at the level of individual beliefs.

 

Graff, A., and Korolczuk, E. (2022). Anti-Gender Politics in the Populist Moment. Basingstoke: Routledge

Moffitt, B. (2016). The Global Rise of Populism: Performance, Political Style and Representation. Stanford UP