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Théo Aiolfi

@theoaiolfi.bsky.social
954 followers 552 following 128 posts

Junior Professor at Université Bourgogne Europe | Associate researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel | Convenor of @populismpsa.bsky.social | Populism; Style; Far-right; Identity tinyurl.com/populiststyle

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Reposted by Théo Aiolfi
Political Studies Association @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
*PSA EVENTS* 'Who are the people? #Populism, Disruption, Identity' 10th Annual Workshop of the PSA Populism Specialist Group 📆 7 – 9 October 2026, Université Bourgogne Europe ➡️ learn more buff.ly/6Ndyt7x
buff.ly
10th Annual Workshop of the Populism Specialist Group - Political Studies Association
Who are the people? Populism, Disruption, Identity 10th Annual Workshop of the Populism Specialist Group in collaboration with the Chaire Professeur Junior “Discours Identitaires” and the Centre…
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European Political Science @epsjournal.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🍃 September issue 📖 Book Review 💬'...an original and valuable addition to the study of populism...’ Guy Gerba @ucc.ie reviews "The Populist Style: Trump, Le Pen and Performances of the Far Right" by @theoaiolfi.bsky.social @edinburghup.bsky.social, 2025 👉 buff.ly/4F9RF8s
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Reposted by Théo Aiolfi
PSA Italian Politics @psa-italian.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Monday 15:30. Panel “Visuals in populist and reactionary politics” (St Catherine’s – Aramugam 1.1) with @populismpsa.bsky.social @dbonansinga.bsky.social Voutyras Veneti Poulakidakos @lauramontecchio.bsky.social Griffini @theoaiolfi.bsky.social @ngellwitzki.bsky.social Scanlon
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Right, even as a specialist, it's quite exhausting (and numbing) to follow the man these days...
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Thank you Guy for engaging with my work and for this very kind review!
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Reposted by Théo Aiolfi
European Political Science @epsjournal.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
❇️ FirstView - 📖 Book Review 💬'...an original and valuable addition to the study of populism...’ Guy Gerba @ucc.ie reviews "The Populist Style: Trump, Le Pen and Performances of the Far Right" by @theoaiolfi.bsky.social @edinburghup.bsky.social, 2025 👉 buff.ly/4F9RF8s
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PSA Italian Politics @psa-italian.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Monday 30 March, 3:30pm (Venue 16) Italian Politics & Populism - Visuals in Populist and Reactionary Politics with Savvas Voutyras @anveneti.bsky.social Stamatis Poulakidakos @theoaiolfi.bsky.social @ngellwitzki.bsky.social Ethan Scanlon @dbonansinga.bsky.social
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Thank you for the very kind words Giada!
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Thank you Andreas, much appreciated!
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Very proud to share this piece with @bolandeira.bsky.social for @jacobinmag.bsky.social, where we discuss the complicated relationship between the radical left and the nation, based on our article in JCES (doi.org/10.1080/1478...).
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Reposted by Théo Aiolfi
Jacobin @jacobinmag.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Left populists across Europe have sometimes dampened their internationalism in an effort to reach broader audiences. This has produced little in the way of electoral success and often meant giving up a necessary fight against xenophobia.
jacobin.com
The Problem With Left Nationalism
Left populists across Europe have sometimes dampened their internationalism in an effort to reach broader audiences. This has produced little in the way of electoral success and often meant giving up a necessary fight against xenophobia.
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Reposted by Théo Aiolfi
Benjamin Moffitt @benmoffitt.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
🎆 NEW OA ARTICLE ALERT 🎆 'Populism, visual technologies, and the self-mediation of ‘the people’ from the 2002 Venezuelan coup to the 2021 US Capitol riots' in @risjnl.bsky.social How do populist publics visually represent themselves & how have shifts in visual technologies altered this process?
cambridge.org
Populism, visual technologies, and the self-mediation of ‘the people’ from the 2002 Venezuelan coup to the 2021 US Capitol riots | Review of International Studies | Cambridge Core
Populism, visual technologies, and the self-mediation of ‘the people’ from the 2002 Venezuelan coup to the 2021 US Capitol riots
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
It was a genuine pleasure to host Claire in Dijon! I feel very lucky to have the chance to meet so many talented colleagues whose research sheds a new light on research topics I thought I knew well. Please check out her first open access if you are curious! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Of the people and the elite? The strategic framing of Jews, antisemitism, and Israel by the AfD and the FPÖ - Claire Burchett, 2025
Research has examined the co-existence of pro-Jewish discourse and antisemitic incidents within the populist radical right parties (PRR), Alternative for German...
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
All the pleasure was mine Claire! Content que tu aies pu profiter de l'accueil (et des spécialités) de Bourgogne et c'était un plaisir de t'avoir parmi nous !
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
What an honour! Thank you for the kind words Andreína Victoria Hernández Ross. "Aiolfi’s interdisciplinary method, blending political theory, critical analysis and performance studies, offers a sophisticated framework, equipping scholars with tools to analyse populism’s performative dimensions."
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Je travaille maintenant à Dijon, mais je reste affilié à la VUB où je travaillais l'an passé. Et je garde beaucoup d'affection pour Bruxelles !
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Si vous parlez anglais, ce petit extrait du livre de Sclafani vous montre un peu le genre d'analyse que les collègues sociolinguistes font sur lui : static.routledge.com/978113824450...
static.routledge.com
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Bien sûr, en termes de richesse lexicale et de sophistication de la langue, le constat est simple pour Trump. Mais au-delà de ces mesures linguistiques, il y a des choses à dire sur la façon dont il parle. Son usage du discours rapporté, son sens de la répartie, ses digressions métadiscursives,...
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Merci beaucoup, c'était un plaisir !
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
C'est un beau compliment, merci ! Je le fais à ma modeste mesure, mais il y a nombre de spécialistes qui font l'exégèse très détaillée du discours de Trump. Ma référence reste Jennifer Sclafani et son livre "Talking Donald Trump", qui va bien plus en profondeur que moi.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Last reminder 📢 Only three days left to submit your abstracts for our online symposium on the visual side of populism! tinyurl.com/VisualPopuli...
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Reposted by Théo Aiolfi
Jessica Wax-Edwards @waxwards.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
Last chance to apply for our online symposium on Visual Populism. Deadline 31 July! #cfp #populism #visual #mediastudies
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CEVIPOF - Sciences Po @cevipof.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
New Publication of Thomás Zicman de Barros @bolandeira.bsky.social @cevipof.bsky.social with @theoaiolfi.bsky.social cc @scpo-research.bsky.social
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Kind reminder about the deadline at the end of July to submit abstracts for the online symposium "Visualising populist identities" on December 2nd and 3rd! Call for Paper here: tinyurl.com/VisualPopuli... Abstract submission there: tinyurl.com/VisualisingP...
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
16/ Read the full article: “From sovereignty to créolisation: populist strategies and the Mélenchon–Ruffin split.” Out now in the Journal of Contemporary European Studies. (Please do reach out to us if you face difficulties accessing it!) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
From sovereignty to créolisation: populist strategies and the Mélenchon-Ruffin split. A response to Rojas-Andrés, Mazzolini, and Custodi
This article contributes to current debates on left-wing populism in Europe by addressing the strategic tensions between patriotic discourse and so-called ‘identity’ agendas. It does so by examinin...
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
15/ So, must left populism choose patriotism over “minority” struggles? The French case suggests otherwise: créole populism—anti-racist and pluralist—proved more promising than the sovereigntist turn, both electorally and as a strategy for radical democracy.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
14/ Créolisation names a different universalism—open, conflictual, grounded in difference. It is not a boutique cultural gesture, but a "dirty", grassroots process that emerges from below and redefines who "the people" can be.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
13/ Créolisation pictures the people not as a fixed identity but as a relation—open, unstable, shaped by intertwined histories and cultures. It roots universalism in lived plural vulnerability, not abstract national sameness.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
12/ Seeing those limits, Mélenchon shifted strategy. Instead of wooing far-right voters, he mobilised subaltern precarious groups—especially racialised abstentionists—and grounded this move in Édouard Glissant’s concept of créolisation.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
11/ In France, the sovereigntist gambit aimed to lure mob-leaning far-right voters into supporting the left. But it failed. The “faché pas facho” line proved to be a dead-end. As @ericfassin.bsky.social notes, it misunderstands far-right loyalty and ends up reinforcing exclusion.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
10/ We build a typology mapping three expressions of invisibilised masses (that can overlap): (1) Subalterns – excluded by race, gender or status (2) The precarious – atomised, insecure workers (3) The mob – déclassé, fringed, resentful groups courted by the far-right
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
9/ To grasp this turn, remember that populism is not only about stylistic transgressions of charismatic leaders—it is about who is drawn onto the stage. Its transgression lies in mobilising the invisibilised—sectors that are, in fact, very diverse, literally heterogeneous.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
8/ Gradually, however, Mélenchon pivoted. He refocused on abstentionist, racialised, precarious voters in the banlieues, adopting an openly anti-racist, feminist, and queer-inclusive discourse. It was not a strategic shift that happened smoothly, and he has been heavily criticised for this choice.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
7/ Mélenchon initially backed that line. The so-called "faché pas facho [angry, not fascist]" strategy assumed that far-right voters weren't inherently reactionary, but simply lacked alternatives—and that appealing to national symbols could bring them (back) to the left.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
6/ To reach them, Ruffin embraced patriotic tropes, and set aside race and gender issues, seen as "divisive". This was in line with LFI’s "sovereigntist" phase: attempting to reconstruct a national-popular identity to rally dissatisfied citizens leaning toward the far-right.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
5/ Our case study is the split within La France Insoumise between @jlmelenchon.bsky.social and @francoisruffin.fr. Ruffin sought to rally what he called "les petits blancs"—"little white people" of deindustrialized and rural France: outraged citizens who have increasingly turned to the far-right.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
4/ Whereas thought-provoking, we challenge that assumption. We claim that there is no clear pre-formed people waiting to be addressed. Populism constructs “the people” through antagonisms—and through political choices about who becomes visible.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
3/ Their remedy is a return to patriotic and national symbols to forge a majoritarian bloc. Playing the "national-popular" card, they claim, is a way to speak the language of ordinary citizens. In this view, anti-racism & queer politics fragment rather than unite "the people".
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
2/ In their recent and insightful work, Rojas-Andrés, Mazzolini & Custodi argue that Spain’s populist radical left short-circuited itself by drifting into cultural elitism—alienating its “natural addressees” by prioritising “identity” agendas.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
📢 New article with @bolandeira.bsky.social in JCES! Can left populism embrace anti-racism & queer politics - or must it stick to patriotism to reach “the people”? We reply to Rojas-Andrés, Mazzolini & Custodi with a French case: the Mélenchon–Ruffin split.👇 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Thank you to the wonderful editing team @davidcadier.bsky.social, @achryssogelos.bsky.social and @sdestradi.bsky.social for their trust and open-mindedness to unorthodox perspectives.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
My physical copy of The Routledge Handbook of Populism and Foreign Policy just arrived at home. What an impressive collective work! I am very honoured to have contributed the theoretical chapter on the stylistic approach to populism.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Thank you Ben! You won't be disappointed with this one! Two small teasers: this article is a response to another collaborative article and our intervention directly talks to contentious debates within the French Left.
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
After it took more than two years to get our first collaborative article published, it feels surreal that our second one got accepted in the same year! This couldn't have happened without the talented prose and professionalism of @bolandeira.bsky.social. I cannot wait for this one to be out!
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Thomás Zicman de Barros @bolandeira.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Nothing better than wrapping up the day with good news: another article co-authored with the brilliant @theoaiolfi.bsky.social has just been accepted for publication! That’s our second in 2025 — and this one is bound to stir some debate. More soon!
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Reactionary Politics Research Network @reacpolrn.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
📣Applications for the second Reactionary Politics Summer School are open📣 The summer school provides a space to develop key skills for the research of reactionary politics. It will be hosted hybrid and attendance is free. Bursaries are also available. Sign up below! reacpol.net/summer-schoo...
reacpol.net
Summer School - Reactionary Politics Research Network
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
I am also very grateful for our two keynote speakers, @mecasullo.bsky.social and @benmoffitt.bsky.social, who are both such incredible experts on the topic and generous colleagues. It is rare opportunity to hear them both in the same event and I look very much forward to it!
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Théo Aiolfi @theoaiolfi.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Calling all my colleagues working on the visuality of populism, this is going to be an exciting event which I am proud to co-organise with @waxwards.bsky.social. The event will be free and online, and we cannot wait to read your abstracts by the 31st of July: tinyurl.com/VisualisingP...
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Populism Specialist Group @populismpsa.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Announcing the online symposium "Visualising populist identities", organised by @waxwards.bsky.social and @theoaiolfi.bsky.social on Dec 2-3, 2025, with keynotes by @mecasullo.bsky.social and @benmoffitt.bsky.social Read the CfP here (tinyurl.com/VisualPopuli...) & submit your abstracts by July 31
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Dr Bendor Grosvenor FRHistS @bendorgrosvenor.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
I'm gripped by the ever-increasing bling in Trump’s Oval Office. What does it mean? Yes, Trump has bad taste. But also something else. Here’s an art historical view. 🧵 1/
Presidents Trump and Bukele of El Salvador sit before the fireplace in the Oval Office, surrounded by gold cups, portraits and gold trinkets.
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