[Commlist] Helsinki Summer School: “Rhetoric-Performative and Post-Foundational Analysis” and “Populism on the Loose in Europe and Beyond”

Call for Applications

Helsinki Summer School, University of Helsinki, 6–22 August 2019

*“Rhetoric-Performative and Post-Foundational Analysis”*and *“Populism 
on the Loose in Europe and Beyond”*

The two courses draw on the political philosophy of Ernesto Laclau and 
Chantal Mouffe, taking forward the discourse theoretical, 
hegemony-focused Essex school approach. The courses include also a 
two-day conference “*Emotions, Populism and Polarised Politics, Media, 
and Culture” 
*(https://blogs.helsinki.fi/populismi/emotions-populism-and-polarised-politics-media-and-culture-conference-august-2019/) 
organised by two Academy of Finland funded projects, “Mainstreaming 
Populism in the 21st Century” 
(MaPo)(https://blogs.helsinki.fi/populismi/)and “Whirl of Knowledge: 
Cultural Populism in European Polarised Politics and Societies” 
(WhiKnow) (https://blogs.helsinki.fi/whi-know/). The conference looks at 
cases of politics, media, and culture, and explores the link between 
emotions and populism, polarizing politics that spills over to media and 
culture. The conference’s CFP is on until 15 April, see below for the 
details.

Teaching will be composed of lectures, workshops and excursions. The 
courses also offers great possibilities for academic networking during 
and outside teaching hours. We designed the courses as a special 
opportunity to learn the underpinnings of post-foundationalism and 
populism in a friendly environment and in a collaborative way. The 
course organizers are Senior Lecturer Emilia Palonen from Political 
Science and Postdoctoral Researcher Virpi Salojärvi from Media and 
Communication Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of 
Helsinki.

Descriptions of the courses:

**

*Rhetoric-Performative Post-Foundational Analysis 
*(https://www.helsinki.fi/en/admissions/helsinki-summer-school/courses/rhetoric-performative-and-post-foundational-analysis) 


This course focuses on post-foundational political thought and the 
related perspectives of conceptual analysis, post-structuralist 
discourse theory, interpretive political analysis, and discourse theory. 
The broader aim is to learn how to make use of theory in research in 
social sciences and humanities. With emphasis on rhetoric and 
performativity, the course investigates how meaning-making takes place 
through contingent concepts, discourses and structures we inhabit. 
**These theoretical approaches will be discussed in relation to themes 
such as democracy, economy, populism, gender, climate change, identity 
politics, and the notion of ‘post-truth’. The students will learn about 
different forms of post-foundational thinking and get to explore the 
ways in which it can be combined with various research methods. As 
central to the post-foundational framework, the course will introduce 
the works of authors such as Jacques Derrida, Judith Butler, Chantal 
Mouffe and Ernesto Laclau.

/Confirmed teachers:/ Tomas Marttila (Vienna University of Economics and 
Business), Emmy Eklundh (King’s College London), Mark Devenney 
(University of Brighton), Tuija Saresma (University of Jyväskylä) and 
Niko Hatakka (University of Turku)

/Target Students:/ Master's/PhD level students. Bachelor's degree or 
previous knowledge of research methods and research practice required.

*
*

*Populism on the Loose in Europe and Beyond 
*(https://www.helsinki.fi/en/admissions/helsinki-summer-school/courses/populism-on-the-loose-in-europe-and-beyond)

**

While much of the study of present-day populism has focused on 
identifying features shared by populist movements or on populism as a 
social logic, this course looks at the variability and intersectionality 
of populism in a perspective inspired by the political philosopher 
Ernesto Laclau. During the course are examined such topics as distinct 
aspects of social media and mainstream media in relation to populist 
politics; role of affect, gender and ethnicity in populist movements; 
anti-populism and the relation between democracy and populism. The 
geographical areas studied during the course include the emergence of 
Donald Trump in the US, the rising tide of radical parties in Europe 
(including e.g. France, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Nordic 
countries), Islamic populism in Turkey, and the rise and fall of 
Chavismo in Venezuela. Thus, covering both left- and right-wing populism 
in different continents.

/Confirmed teachers:/ Emmy Eklundh (King’s College London), Mark 
Devenney (University of Brighton), Tuija Saresma (University of 
Jyväskylä), Tuula Vaarakallio (University of Jyväskylä), Rūta 
Kazlauskaitė (University of Helsinki), Laura Sibinescu (University of 
Helsinki), Niko Hatakka (University of Turku), Halil Gürhanli 
(University of Helsinki)

/Target Students/: Advanced Bachelor’s level and Master’s/PhD students 
of social sciences are warmly invited to take this course.

***

/Important information:/

Organiser: Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki

Credits: 5 ECTS

Price: HSS course fees are 900–1490 EUR (UH students with local rates)

Preliminary course schedules may be found in the course pages.

*The application deadline is June 17th, 2019. However, the students of 
the University of Helsinki may apply until July 19th, 2019. If you need 
a visa, please apply 31st of May the latest.*

Apply for the course:


Rhetoric-performative post-foundational analysis 
https://apply.helsinkisummerschool.fi/courses/course/221-rhetoricperformative-and-postfoundational-analysis

Populism on the loose in Europe and beyond 
https://apply.helsinkisummerschool.fi/courses/course/220-populism-loose-europe-and-beyond

More info on the Helsinki Summer School:

_http://www.helsinkisummerschool.fi <http://www.helsinkisummerschool.fi/>_

The students participating the courses are invited to present their work 
in our conference *“**Emotions, Populism and Polarised Politics, Media, 
and Culture” *organised 19-20 August. However, it is also possible to 
participate only at the conference. To apply, please, send your abstract 
(200-300 words) with heading to: /(marina.vulovic /at/ helsinki.fi) /by *April 
15, 2019*. Selected participants will be notified *by April 30, 2019. 
*Participants are encouraged to submit written papers by August 5, 2019.


The modest conference fee 50/80 euros includes tea, coffee, and lunches, 
as well as the conference dinner on Monday. The summer school course 
students do not pay extra for participating at the conference.

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