Screening European Populisms (2008-2020). Audiovisual Fiction, Social Media, and Political Affect

Collaborative project:
Screening European Populisms (2008-2020). Audiovisual Fiction, Social Media, and Political Affect
(Collaborative project, awarded a NetIAS Constructive Advanced Thinking grant, 2021-2024).
The project seeks to understand how fictional film and TV engages, promotes or challenges populist narratives, especially through emotional discourses.
In recent decades, populist forces have transformed the European landscape, challenging the legitimacy of institutions and representational systems. Frequently aligned with reactionary platforms, these actors rhetorically position themselves against the mainstream media, the elites and/or external enemies. Narrative work is a crucial element in populist affect, yet the role of audiovisual fiction remains understudied: grasping this relationship is necessary to disentangle populisms’ capacity to hegemonize the framing of contemporary European crises.
We aim to address this gap, by focusing on key contemporary films and TV series from the five largest markets in Europe - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. The project will analyze these fictional narratives, trace their reception, interactions, and appropriations, with a particular emphasis on social media discussions. The collaboration with two stakeholder organizations working in youth participation and in media literacy will also enable a better understanding of the role of fiction in creating and spreading populist affect in the current conjuncture.
Members:
Valerio Coladonato, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Dom Holdaway, University of Urbino, Italy
Elena Pilipets, University of Siegen, Germany
Sven Stollfuß, University of Leipzig, Germany
Lidia Valera-Ordaz, University of Valencia