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Public Forum: Populism, authoritarianism and gender in Trump’s America

  • University of Sydney Law Lounge Law Building, Eastern Avenue Camperdown, New South Wales Australia (map)

DESCRIPTION

The 2016 election of Donald Trump as US president has generated considerable interest in the role of populism and authoritarianism in contemporary democratic politics both in the United States and elsewhere. Trump’s electoral victory initiated a series of worldwide women’s marches to protest his election, may have helped to spark the #MeToo movement, and has generated unprecedented interest in running for political office among American female Democrats.

The outcome of the 2016 presidential election raises numerous important questions that have implications for the upcoming 2018 congressional and 2020 presidential elections. Are American voters more populist and more authoritarian than in the past? Why were (mostly) young American men marching with flaming torches to protest the removal of a confederate statue in Virginia? What is happening with Democratic and Republican women in 2018, and why did many women vote for Donald Trump and controversial candidates like Alabama's Roy Moore? Is there really an increase in anti-immigration sentiment in the United States and other wealthy democracies, or is something else happening?

Join two of the United States leading political psychologists, Stanley Feldman and Leonie Huddy in a roundtable discussion hosted by US Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman, to talk about the role of populism, authoritarianism and gender in American politics, and the politics of democracies in Europe and Australia.

This event is jointly presented with The United States Studies Centre

Audio

Stanley Feldman

Stanley is a Professor of Political Science at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His research focuses on the origins of political preferences, with particular interests in the structure of political ideology and values, the role of emotions in politics, and the psychological bases of attitudes and opinions. His work has examined the impact of personality on political attitudes, the nature of authoritarianism, prejudice, and emotional and political reactions to terrorism. He is currently working on projects to better understand the nature of ideology and the effects of empathy on political attitudes, and has a forthcoming book on authoritarian attitudes in the United States.

Leonie Huddy

Leonie is a Professor of Political Science at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She studies political behavior in the United States and elsewhere through the lens of intergroup relations, with a special focus on gender, race, and ethnic relations. Her recent work extends that focus to the study of partisan identities in the United States and Western Europe.

Simon Jackman

Simon has been CEO of the US Studies Centre in April 2016. He is a leading expert in survey research and was previously a Professor of Political Science and Statistics at Stanford University. Jackman's teaching and research centres on public opinion, election campaigns, political participation, and electoral systems with special emphasis on American and Australian politics.