Modern Left Populism in the U.S.: From Occupy Wall Street to Bernie Sanders

• In Event: Populism and the American Left

Abstract

The election of Donald Trump, the Brexit vote, and the rise of anti-immigrant parties throughout Europe have directed academic attention towards right-wing populism. Yet in defining populism according to the characteristics of its right-wing manifestations, scholars neglect both current and historical examples of left-wing populism. This paper aims to conceptualize left-wing populism through its intersections and divergences with right-wing varieties. I draw on citizen language and behavior, using ethnographic observations and interviews conducted with Occupy Wall Street members, Sanders supporters, and Tea Party members in Traverse City, Michigan during the 2016 campaign and its aftermath. I find that left-wing populists overlap with right-wing populists in their distrust of various political and social institutions and their perception that the political and economic system is not working for the average American. However, in contrast to right-wing populists' multiple antagonists including minorities alongside elites, today's left-wing populists, like their counterparts from the People's Party, blame the influence of elite economic interests on various democratic institutions. My analysis suggests that by taking left-wing populism seriously, we can reconcile populist movements with pluralism.

Author

• Rachel Meade, Brown University