The recurring problematic when it comes to formulating a left-populist political strategy is whether it is possible to do this without reproducing paradigms – like the nation – that are historically embedded in the xenophobia we seek to challenge. Any ‘left-populist’ strategy must acknowledge the profound difficulty of such a task, and recognise that if new, radical articulations of ‘the nation’ are even achievable, they will be products of long-term counter-hegemonic struggle, not short-term political campaigns. The scale of the challenge might mean we are better off expending our limited time and energies into different discursive strategies that aren’t as clearly susceptible to making things worse if unsuccessful.
4 Reflections on Left Populism
A much underrated point, tbh. We can’t just will new meanings into being.
