Abstract
The aim of this project is to study the role played by fictional audiovisual media in cultures of populism, in 21st-century Italy. In past decades, liberal democracies have been threatened by the rise of populist movements, hegemonizing complex social and economic crises through a pattern of recurring, simplified narratives. Key features of this “populist imagination” are: the rhetorical construction and idealization of national “people”; its habitual relationship to a charismatic leader; a social binary between that “people” and a corrupt elite or external enemy; and contempt for traditional political processes. The role of the media in the affirmation of populism has been widely acknowledged: political narratives and audiovisual fiction spread through an interrupted flow in the mediascape. Though much research has been dedicated to the role of the information media, little work has illustrated the extent to which fictional narratives are a crucial actant in the populist mediascape. This is surprising, considering the clear potential for fiction to contribute to the specific narratives on which populist movements are built. This project aims to fill the gap by tracking the circulation of populist narratives, focusing in particular on audiovisual media. Our focus is on Italy, a country that has long acted as a “political workshop” for innovative trends of populism – including specific relationships with the media, from Berlusconi (TV) to Salvini (Facebook) – culminating in governments in the 21st century that have profoundly transformed populist politics. The current scenario sees a variety of (neo-)populist actors, including Beppe Grillo, Matteo Renzi, Giorgia Meloni, Gianluigi Paragone and Matteo Salvini. The project builds upon the current wealth of cultural-political readings of Italian film and TV and intercepts the rising interest in dynamics of media circulation, applying this to the circulation of populist narratives among film, television series and social media. We adopt a cross-disciplinary approach, connecting the tools of cultural and media studies, film and television studies, history, political science and communication studies. After a first phase of theoretical reflection, we identify a sample of representative fictional products that engage with populist narratives. The sample will be subjected to textual analysis, circulation and and reception studies, across new and old media. This work will be cross-referenced with: i) an inquiry into the historical, technological and social conditions that favour a “populist context” within the audiovisual media; and ii) the texts created or remixed by or for populist actors, re-appropriating fictional audiovisual products. With a dissemination strategy that mixes traditional academic outputs and targets a broader audience we aim to contribute to the wider understanding of populism and tackle a set of crucially relevant issues in the contemporary political landscape.
Project details
Unibo Team Leader: Paola Brembilla
Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento delle Arti
Coordinator:
Università degli Studi di URBINO "Carlo Bo"(Italy)
Total Unibo Contribution: Euro (EUR) 64.194,00
Project Duration in months: 24
Start Date:
17/10/2023
End Date:
28/02/2026
