UC Merced Library

Ever since June 2015, American political discussion has been near-solely dominated by Donald Trump, his ideology, his style and the grievances his voters possess. At the same time, similar figures in Europe were preparing to make victories on their own after being minor forces in the political arena. Despite the amount of attention Trump and similar figures have been receiving, the political ideology they propagate, right-wing populism, has existed for many years in the academic world. In the research paper Obstinate Anger and Pessimism: An (Academic) History of Right-Wing Populism, University of California, Merced political science student Nathan Parmeter explores the history of right-wing populism through an academic lens. The results of his research show that since the modern version of right-wing populism first rose in the 1990s, the same bloc of voters and their economic and social grievances have remained consistent as have the grievances they possess against the state. Furthermore, Mr. Parmeter also notes that the current wave of right-wing populism takes a unique form due to an evolved media landscape and the after-effects of the Great Recession.