Territorialising populism: how regional contexts shape political discourse
Fatih Cure
article (Uluslararası, Hakemli) | Yazar(lar): Fatih Cure | Yıl: 2026 | Dergi/Kurum: ZEITSCHRIFT FUR VERGLEICHENDE POLITIKWISSENSCHAFT | İndeks: WOS.ESCI | DOI: 10.1007/s12286-026-00662-5 | Anahtar Kelimeler: Populism, Discourse analysis, Left-behind regions, Geography of discontent, Political geography, Local governanc
This article examines how populist discourse is articulated and regionalised in two structurally similar but institutionally distinct 'left-behind' regions: Tees Valley in the UK and Duisburg in Germany. Through a mixed-method approach combining content analysis of regional newspapers and critical discourse analysis of mayoral speeches, the study explores how populist themes, anti-elitism, people-centrism, and anti-immigration, manifest differently across subnational contexts. In Teesside, populism is constructed through anti-elite rhetoric, regional pride, and infrastructural delivery, mobilised by an insurgent Conservative mayor. In Duisburg, an incumbent SPD mayor articulates a more technocratic and exclusionary discourse focused on immigration. These divergent patterns illustrate how populist discourse is shaped by national agendas, regional political traditions and media framing. Rather than treating populism as a monolithic or top-down phenomenon, the study conceptualises it as a territorially embedded and institutionally modulated discursive strategy. The findings contribute to the literature on populism, political communication, and territorial inequality by revealing how populist narratives travel across actors and arenas, adapting to local political opportunity structures and cultural repertoires.