How to Regain a Democracy

This project examines how authoritarian populism can be challenged. Globally, there has been a rise in authoritarian populism, characterised by elites who react to globalisation, liberalism and modernity as threats to national culture and identity. This project focuses on Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an authoritarian populist (and former mayor of Istanbul), and Ekrem Imamoglu (current mayor of Istanbul), an opposition leader who is challenging Erdogan's hold on power. We analyse Erdoğan’s and İmamoğlu’s mayoral campaign speeches to determine how each resembles, differs from, and challenges discourses of authoritarian populist politicians. We will disseminate our findings to international audiences of activists, academics and politician