Popular Music and the Rise of Populism in Europe

This book focuses on the role of popular music in the rise of populism in Europe, centering on the music-related processes of sociocultural normalization and the increasing prevalence of populist discourses in contemporary society.

Mario Dunkel is Professor for Music Education with a focus on transcultural music mediation at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. Melanie Schiller is Professor of Contemporary Media Cultures at Radboud University in Nijmegen.

Popular music and the rise of populism in Europe: An introduction - Mario Dunkel and Melanie Schiller, 1. Populist discourses in pro-government, anti-government, and anti-elite songs in Hungary under the Orbán regime - Emília Barna and Ágnes Patakfalvi-Czirják, 2. Playing "Italianness" in popular music: National populism and music in contemporary Italy - Manuela Caiani and Enrico Padoan, 3. "I wanna get back home": Performing a populist Austrian homeland in popular music - André Doehring and Kai Ginkel, 4. Populism in the land of pop: The Sweden Democrats, popular music, and the performance of heroic averageness - Melanie Schiller, 5. Pop stars as voice of the people: Xavier Naidoo, Andreas Gabalier, and the performance of populism during the Covid-19 pandemic - Mario Dunkel and Reinhard Kopanski, Afterword: Popular music and populism in Europe - Mario Dunkel and Melanie Schiller, Index