US Populism in Comparative Perspective

Catalog description

When Donald Trump won the United States presidential election in 2016 with an unconventional “outsider” campaign, academics and journalists sought answers for the unexpected victory, examining explanations including attitudes of racial anxiety, deindustrialization, and growing economic inequality. This course introduces students to these debates through offering a wider comparative perspective on instances of populist movements and leaders around the world. We will work to build an understanding of the causes and consequences of this complicated phenomenon by comparing current and historical cases of US populism with those in Europe and Latin America.