From Sanders to Xenophon, Trump to Hanson, and even Brexit, 2016 has been a year marked by a rise in populist political movements. Sydney Ideas and the United States Studies Centre teamed up to create a diverse panel of speakers to deconstruct the reasons behind this. The expert panel included Dr David Smith, Dr Peter John Chen, Dr Elena Block, Daniel Ergas and Dr Ferran Martínez, with the discussion moderated by Dr Gorana Grgic.
Associate Professor David Smith
Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre (jointly appointed with the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney)
David Smith is jointly appointed between the US Studies Centre and the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney. His research examines political relations between states and minorities, with a focus on religion in the US. His book Religious Persecution and Political Order in the United States was published by Cambridge University Press in 2015.
Dr Peter Chen
Senior Lecturer, Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney
Dr Peter Chen spoke at a US Studies Centre event in 2016. He teaches media politics, public policy and Australian politics at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Dr Elena Block
Honorary Research Fellow, School of Communication and Arts at the University of Queensland
Dr Elena Block spoke at a US Studies Centre event in 2016. She investigates the links between political communication and populism, with a focus on identifying the ‘populist communication style’.
Daniel Ergas
US politics enthusiast
Daniel Ergas spoke at a US Studies Centre event in 2016. Whilst a student he undertook a ten-month stint working for the presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders.
Dr Ferran Martínez
Research Associate, Electoral Integrity Project
Dr Ferran Martínez spoke at a US Studies Centre event in 2016. He was previously a technical adviser for elections for the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Spain.
Dr Gorana Grgic
Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre (jointly appointed with the Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney)
Dr Gorana Grgic is a jointly appointed Senior Lecturer at the Department of Government and International Relations and the United States Studies Centre. Her research interests include US politics and foreign policy, transatlantic relations, conflict resolution and democratisation. She is the author of Ethnic Conflict in Asymmetric Federations (Routledge 2017).
