Research Agenda
My research examines how social-psychological dynamics and political communication are employed by demagogic actors to mobilize and sustain authoritarian populist movements. Focusing on persuasion, identity formation, and narrative framing, this work analyzes how populist appeals operate through shared myths and communicative strategies. Using qualitative discourse analysis and process tracing, this research situates contemporary authoritarian populism within a transnational context, tracing how nationalist discourse and nationalist ideologies circulate through recurring forums and informal networks connecting actors in Europe and the United States. The research tracks below outline the core strands of my work, with illustrative papers indicating how each strand is developed empirically and theoretically
Political Communication and Demagogic Persuasion
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This strand of my research examines how demagogic actors employ persuasive political communication to construct authority, normalize exclusionary narratives, and cultivate affective attachment among followers. Emphasis is placed on rhetorical strategies that blur epistemic boundaries, elevate in-group knowledge, and render political claims resistant to external challenge. By focusing on narrative repetition, political myth, and identity-based appeals, this work analyzes how demagogic persuasion contributes to the durability and internal coherence of authoritarian populist movements.
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The Roots We Refuse: Pedagogy for a Demagogic Age — refereed conference paper (Philosophy of Education Society, 2026)
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Psychological Commitment in Populist and Extremist Movements
This strand of my research examines the social-psychological processes through which individuals and communities maintain commitment to populist and extremist belief systems over time. Informed by social-psychological research on uncertainty and identity, this work analyzes how periods of social and epistemic instability intensify the appeal of political myths that provide moral clarity, belonging, and social certainty. By focusing on belief persistence, moralization, and ongoing interpretive labor, this research explains how ideological commitment deepens and stabilizes even as specific narratives evolve, fracture, or fail.
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From the Illuminati to Modern Populism: The Evolution of the Great Replacement Theory in Right-Wing Ideologies — article manuscript under peer review
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Transatlantic Nationalist Networks​
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This track examines how nationalist actors in Europe and the United States align and diverge through transatlantic networks spanning formal political forums and less formal digital spaces and media. It focuses on how narratives that circulate in less visible environments move into high-profile settings, where endorsement by more mainstream political figures and organizations confers legitimacy and normalizes previously marginal actors and claims. While discursive convergence is strongest around migration and cultural replacement, claims of transnational solidarity often fracture around territorial interests, European integration, Atlanticism, and military commitments.
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A Rival Vision of Unity: Replacement, Remigration, and the Transnational Right at CPAC — conference paper (Council for European Studies, 2026)
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