Strongman or Strawman: The Mobilization of Authoritarian Nostalgia

• In Event: Authoritarianism and Political Behavior

Abstract

Despite the anticipation brought about by the third wave of democratization, democratic governments plagued by corruption and inefficiency have begun losing their legitimacy in the eyes of citizens, resulting in numerous cases of democratic backsliding. While communist nostalgia and the Soviet legacy has been studied in the context of Central and Eastern Europe, several Southeast Asian states that transitioned towards democracy at the end of the 20th century have seen a similar resurgence in authoritarian nostalgia. This longing for an authoritarian past, falsely associated with order and prosperity, seems particularly misguided, begging the question of how such bad national memories have taken on a positive turn over the years. This paper argues that the myth of authoritarian supremacy relies on a reconstruction of historical memory, which can be achieved by credible strongman candidates in times of social turmoil, where national narratives are most susceptible to change. Drawing on case studies from the Philippines and Indonesia, as well as evidence from a conjoint experiment, I demonstrate how a strongman candidate’s early professional record primes him to credibly revive the myth of authoritarian supremacy.

Author

• Norashiqin Toh, Columbia University