School of Social and Political Science

Description

About the talk

From the U.S.’s Donald Trump, to France’s Marine Le Pen, to India’s Narendra Modi, the rise of right-wing populism is transforming politics-as-usual in several democratic systems. Among the troubling elements of this populist surge is its association with campaigns to overhaul constitutions, with sweeping consequences for individual and collective rights. In this talk, I derive lessons about the relationship between populism, rights, and legality from an understudied case: Canada. While often portrayed as impervious to the populist surge occurring elsewhere, Canada has in fact seen a significant increase in right-wing populist claims-making, both at the federal and provincial levels. Provincially, this is manifested in governments’ accelerated attempts to circumvent the Constitution as a means to push through legislation affecting minority rights, electoral policy, and other domains. Based on close observation of the discursive strategies behind – as well as the implications of – these measures, I offer conclusions about the impact of emerging populisms on rights and legality in Canada and beyond.

About the speaker:

Emily Laxer is Associate Professor of Sociology at York University’s Glendon Campus in Toronto, Canada. Her research draws on sociological approaches to politics, immigration, race, and gender to assess state policies attending immigrants’ citizenship, rights, and belonging in diverse settings. International in scope, it has been published in both English and French in such peer-reviewed journals as Ethnic and Racial Studies, the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Nations and Nationalism, Contemporary Studies in Society and History, Comparative Sociology, and edited volumes. Her research also forms the basis of a sole-authored monograph, Unveiling the Nation: The Politics of Secularism in France and Québec (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2019), which received the John Porter Tradition of Excellence Book Award from the Canadian Sociological Association (2020). She currently holds a York Research Chair in Populism, Rights, and Legality.

About the Sociology Speaker Series:

The Sociology Speaker Series presents the latest research by academic staff members at the University of Edinburgh and distinguished guests from across the United Kingdom and beyond. Registration is free and open to all University of Edinburgh students and staff.