“Freedom not Fear, truckers not Trudeau” : Antagonism as Populism: Against the Liberal Consensus in Canada

This thesis is investigating the rise of populism in Canada, and how the Freedom Convoy 2022 changed the political landscape allowing for populism to be mainstreamed. Populism as a political force is reshaping liberal democracies, and by analysing how populism as a counter movement against the liberal hegemony is constructed, this thesis, while focused on Canada, will show how societal polarization and the construction of political frontiers is expanding the populist zeitgeist. Through utilizing a post-structuralist methodology, building on Laclau & Mouffe’s conceptualisation of hegemony and Mudde’s understanding of populism as a ‘thin-centred ideology’, this thesis investigates how the Freedom Convoy was discursively constructed by Justin Trudeau’s liberal Government, as well co-opted by the Conservative Opposition and the Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. The theoretical framework understands populism as an illiberal response to undemocratic liberalism, and a reaction towards progressive neoliberalism, which together with my conceptualisation of populism as the antagonism between the ‘people’ and the ’elite’ will steer my analysis.           The analysis found that populism as a political force is being mainstreamed by Poilievre and the Conservative Party as a response towards changing social relations, argued detrimental to the working class, which the Freedom Convoy was a manifestation of. The expression of discontent is constructed as antagonism between the ‘people’ against the ‘elites’, where globalization is argued responsible for the economic decline in Canada. The main contention is however with the progressive values the globalist ‘elite’ are argued to harbour, and the battle line drawn between progressive neoliberalism and reactionary populism. The findings contribute to the field of International Relations, as the rise of populism is argued to be to be result of changing social relations due to the workings of the global political economy. Thus, populism is inherently a local issue within global structures

Richard Pages Sound

Fem låtar från Richard Pages skiva Peculiar Life har analyserats med syfte att ta reda på vad det är som ger dem dess sound. Analyserna har gjorts genom läsning av bookleten till skivan, informationssökning på internet, genom att titta på videodagbok från inspelning av skivan och genom att lyssna på låtarna. Analyserna har delats upp i kategorierna skriven information, video, utrustning och låtanalyser. Analyserna har visat att alla led i produktionen har stor betydelse för slutresultatet. Informationen som samlats in har använts till att återskapa soundet genom att komponera, arrangera, producera, spela in och mixa fem egna låtar baserat på analyserna. En undersökning gjordes med en grupp bestående av 66 gymnasieelever på estetiskt program med syfte att ta reda på om de egenkomponerade låtarna har samma sound som referensmaterialet. Ljudklipp från referenslåtarna och de egenkomponerade låtarna spelades upp tätt efter varandra varpå eleverna fick besvara en lyssnarenkät som tagits fram. De kategorier som betygsattes i enkäten var harmonier, arrangering och produktion. På enkäten fanns en förklaring av kategorierna. Resultatet från enkäten har sammanställts och analyserats och visar på ett delvis lyckat genomförande inom samtliga bedömningskategorier. Det första låtparet fick högt betyg, det andra låtparet fick medelbetyg och det tredje låtparet högt betyg

“Freedom not Fear, truckers not Trudeau” : Antagonism as Populism: Against the Liberal Consensus in Canada

This thesis is investigating the rise of populism in Canada, and how the Freedom Convoy 2022 changed the political landscape allowing for populism to be mainstreamed. Populism as a political force is reshaping liberal democracies, and by analysing how populism as a counter movement against the liberal hegemony is constructed, this thesis, while focused on Canada, will show how societal polarization and the construction of political frontiers is expanding the populist zeitgeist. Through utilizing a post-structuralist methodology, building on Laclau & Mouffe’s conceptualisation of hegemony and Mudde’s understanding of populism as a ‘thin-centred ideology’, this thesis investigates how the Freedom Convoy was discursively constructed by Justin Trudeau’s liberal Government, as well co-opted by the Conservative Opposition and the Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. The theoretical framework understands populism as an illiberal response to undemocratic liberalism, and a reaction towards progressive neoliberalism, which together with my conceptualisation of populism as the antagonism between the ‘people’ and the ’elite’ will steer my analysis.           The analysis found that populism as a political force is being mainstreamed by Poilievre and the Conservative Party as a response towards changing social relations, argued detrimental to the working class, which the Freedom Convoy was a manifestation of. The expression of discontent is constructed as antagonism between the ‘people’ against the ‘elites’, where globalization is argued responsible for the economic decline in Canada. The main contention is however with the progressive values the globalist ‘elite’ are argued to harbour, and the battle line drawn between progressive neoliberalism and reactionary populism. The findings contribute to the field of International Relations, as the rise of populism is argued to be to be result of changing social relations due to the workings of the global political economy. Thus, populism is inherently a local issue within global structures