ORIENTATION TOWARDS THE PAST AS AN ELEMENT IN THE THEORETICAL CONCEPTUALIZATION OF POPULISM

Abstract

The article examines the theoretical conceptualization of the orientation towards the past as a key component of the ideological content of populism. The conceptual vagueness of the phenomenon of populism in contemporary scholarship is noted. It is emphasised that although the ‘people versus elite’ antagonism is the only component on which there is relative consensus, by itself it is not sufficient for a proper identification and description of populism. It is shown how an orientation towards the past explains the specificity of populist logic and determines its ‘multifaceted nature’.
The evolution of scientific approaches to the relationship between populism and an orientation towards the past is analysed – from the early concepts of E. Shils, D. Bell, S. Lipset and R. Hofstadter to the contemporary theories of H.-H. Betz, P. Taggart, R. Wodak, T. Rad’, T. Priadko, M. Kenny, F. Finchelstein, A. Guzhva, E. Elci and others. Particular attention in this context is paid to P. Taggart’s concept of ‘heartland’ as the most comprehensive theoretical tool that describes the full scope of the role and significance of retrospective orientation for the ideological content of populism.
Three main approaches to interpreting the orientation towards the past in populism are identified: as a secondary and contextual element; as a structurally important component of right-wing populism; and as an integral feature of populism in general. Preference is given to the third approach, since it is precisely this orientation towards the past that gives populism a specific temporality, in which the image of the future is, at least in part, shaped on the basis of deliberately chosen elements of the past. This allows populism to be distinguished from conservative or progressive ideologies, which, respectively, focus on preserving the present or creating a fundamentally new future.
It is clarified that, within the framework of populism, the orientation towards the past can serve as a diagnosis of the present, a source of values, an image of the ideal, and an argumentative basis. The appeal to the past gives concrete form to the populist criticism of the elite as a force that has deprived the people of certain benefits they once possessed, especially during times of transformational crises. It is noted that the content and intensity of this orientation vary depending on the ideological combination and national-historical context.