Special Events

R18 - Populism and Political Science: Implications for the Discipline

Date: Jun 6 | Time: 12:00pm to 01:30pm | Location: SWING 305

Chair/Président/Présidente : Steven Rathgeb Smith (American Political Science Association)

The rise of populist movements across the world, including Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the U.S. presidential election, the unexpected approval of Brexit, the newly elected government of Quebec, the election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, and resurgent far right movements in Europe, have brought to the fore pressing questions about the role of political science and how it relates to politics and policymaking. In many places, the future of academic freedom is unresolved, and uncertainty exists about the continued relationship between political scientists and government. Should, and how should, these developments affect political science research agendas and our teaching in the classroom? Political scientists must consider how best to address questions of democracy, populism, and economic distribution that have become a driving force in politics. How can the discipline engage policymakers and the public on these issues? This panel will address these questions, along with what these recent developments mean for political science, both in terms of the unique challenges that they introduce for political science research and their implications for future research agendas and pedagogy.

Participants
Willem Maas (York University)
Alain Noël (University of Montreal)
Mireille Paquet (Concordia University)