Conceptualising sidestreaming: How the populist radical right appeals to atypical supporters

2026/01/02 by Mari‐Liis Jakobson · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Populism, Right-Wing Movements #German legal, social, and political studies #Electoral Systems and Political Participation

paper · doi:10.1177/02633957251407561

Abstract

This article explores why a growing number of populist radical right parties and politicians (PRRPs) seem to be making reverences towards different minority groups, for example, ethnic, gendered or migrantised minorities. It argues that this is not a sign of moderation of PRRPs’ ideological stances, but an increasingly common discursive strategy. Based on a close examination of populist radical right ideology, contemporary contextual shifts affecting PRRPs’ electoral success, and rhetorical examples from the Forum for Democracy (Netherlands), EKRE (Estonia) and the Sweden Democrats, the article outlines a concept of sidestreaming, which captures how the fourth wave PRRPs are repurposing and reframing their original ideas to reach new audiences. Sidestreaming serves the purpose of both diversifying its supporter base as well as destigmatising one’s image without making ideological compromises.

Citations

• What Unites Right-Wing Populists in Western Europe?
• Back to the Future? The Electoral Breakthrough of Far-Right Parties
• Public support for the <i>cordon sanitaire</i> : Descriptive evidence from Spain
• Walking the Talk: How to Identify Anti-Pluralist Parties
• The Radical Right as Niche Parties? The Ideological Landscape of Party Systems in Western Europe, 1980–2014
• The Populist Zeitgeist
• An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy

Cited by

• How populist are ethnic minorities? Populist attitudes and voting for populist parties in the Netherlands

Discussions

• 👏 Excellent paper by @mari-liis.bsky.social on the concept of "sidestreaming". She explains why a growing number of populist radical right parties seem to be making reverences towards different minor [bsky, 21 points, 2 comments]

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