Global Political Sociology

The Palgrave Handbook on Right-Wing Populism and Otherness in Global Perspective argues that a key characteristic of the recent rise in right-wing populist politicians worldwide is the pervasive dynamic of exclusionary conflicts and moral divisions, designated as meta-othering. This is achieved through the use of two distinct forms of otherization: 'upward' othering, which targets the establishment elites and their associates, and 'downward' othering, which involves demeaning and scapegoating certain out-groups or external outsiders. The Handbook takes a multidisciplinary approach and focuses on recent real-world expressions of right-wing populist tactics to justify, strengthen, or instrumentalize alterity narratives and claims. It provides a comprehensive analysis of manifestations of right-wing populism othering from diverse cases and variations around the world with a particular emphasis on including examples from the Global South.