Contesting the populist claim on 'the people' through popular culture: the 0110 concerts versus the Vlaams Belang
Abstract
Although they belong to different spheres, popular culture and populism can in some cases become intertwined and interlocked because they are both built around the antagonism between people and elite. Populist parties are often happy to associate themselves with popular culture as this allows them to strengthen their bond with the (signifier) people.
This chapter looks at an inverse movement: the contestation of a populist party's claim on the people through popular culture. It analyzes the discursive struggle between the Flemish extreme-right populist party Vlaams Belang and 0110.
On 1 October 2006, a series of concerts "for tolerance, against racism, against extremism, and against gratuitous violence" featuring many of Belgium's most popular artists from all kinds of genres, were held in four Belgian cities. The chapter shows how the organization behind the 0110 concerts managed to turn popular culture against the Vlaams Belang, thus questioning this party's claim on the signifier "people".