Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2026
The five spatial political logics of populism: An analytical framework and research agenda for studying the populist politicisation of space from the local to the transnational
How does populism interact with space? While it is increasingly acknowledged that populism operates across geographical scales from the local to the transnational, a systematic framework for analysing how populism functions across these scales remains lacking. Moreover, space and spatial identities have often been treated as explanatory variables for populist success, rather than as categories actively constructed and politicised through populist discourse. This article proposes a discourse-theoretical framework for studying the populist politicisation of space. Introducing the concept of spatial political logics and systematising the existing research on populism through that lens, it identifies five key spatial political logics that structure the populist politicisation of space: lower scale/higher scale, centre/periphery, North/South and East/West, in/out, and rooted/rootless. It also develops an analytical framework for future research on the intricate relations between populism and space across geographical scales, setting out key questions that can guide case studies, comparative research, and broader theoretical reflections.
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