In the European crisis populist parties seem to flourish. Both left- and right-wing populist parties have made important gains in recent elections and appear to have an important impact on the way in which the crisis is being debated, both in the media and in politics. This mini-symposium seeks to explore these developments. Central questions that will be addressed in the mini-symposium are: How are elites, Europe, immigrants and/or minorities portrayed by populist parties in campaigns, in the media, and party platforms? How are core ideological features, such as authoritarianism, euroscepticism, nationalism and populism, conveyed in campaign material and party publications? How does the ideological message of populist parties affect electoral, media and party behaviour?

We welcome case studies, comparative studies and cross-national studies based on original data gathered through content analysis, experiments, interviews and surveys.