transform! europe network presents : The transform! europe Podcast, a series of interviews with sociologists and political researchers of the European electorate ahead of the 2024 European election.
Radical Left in Europe
For the first two episodes of the transform! europe Podcast we invited experts on the Radical Left in Europe:
- Raul Gomez: reader in comparative politics at the university of Liverpool.
- Luis Ramiro: sociology and political science associate professor at the National Distance Learning University in Madrid.
They co-authored “Radical Left Voters in Western Europe“ published in October 2022. Their research and work traces the history and sociology of left-wing voters throughout Europe in the last century.
Episode I
The first episode offers a deep dive into their research to help listeners contextualise today’s political climate.
Episode II
In this second episode, Raul Gomez and Luis Ramiro put their research in conversation with the 2024 European election and talk about the Radical Left’s current challenges and opportunities. They devise possible strategies for the upcoming election.
Far Right in Europe
The third episode focuses on the Far Right. To discuss this topic Anaïs Fley, facilitator of the transform! europe´s working group on the radical, extreme and populist right interviews David Broder, historian of the far right in Europe and author of the book “Mussolini’s Grandchildren: Fascism in Contemporary Italy”.
Episode III
This interview sheds light on both the historical development of the far right in Europe and the contemporary strategies that it is using to becoming institutionalised within European governments and the European Union.
Through transnational examples and political theory David Broder explains how the Far Right has gained such interest and power in the last decade and what are the solutions that the Left can build on to gain the trust of popular classes back and defeat it.
The Case of France
This episode has a special focus on France, French politics and the racial discrimination issue.
Because of the law on “laïcité”, any quantitative research on race isn’t possible in France. French sociologist Julien Talpin’s work is therefore valuable, because it yet reveals how the ordinary experience of discrimination is a vector of political subjectivity, and can be the cause of disenchantment with politics.
Episode IV
Anaïs Fley interviews Julien Talpin, a French sociologist and qualitative researcher in the field of stigmatised neighbourhoods in France about the political preference of racialised minorities and precarious groups, the recent riots in the banlieues, the place of racial discrimination on the left’s electoral platforms, and other outcomes from his research. He also reflects on what could be a future where inclusive politics and politicians would play a role in a more democratic France (see Julien Talpin’s books here).
Related Resources
- transform! synthesis Who votes for the left, an analysis based on an Espaces Marx debate in Paris with Raul Gomez and Luiz Ramiro (November 2023)
- transform! e-dossier Identifying and deploying the conglomerate of radical left voters (September 2023)
- transform! e-dossier Who votes for the left and why: in search of our identity, which includes a contribution by Luis Ramiro (April 2023)