Antipartisanship as a political identity? The composition of anti-party groups in multi-party systems and the impacts of anti-party sentiment on democratic representation

• Grant number: 23/15098-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Political Behavior
• Principal Investigator: Rachel Meneguello
• Grantee: Mariana Falcão Chaise
• Host Institution: Centro de Estudos de Opinião Pública (CESOP). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/01573-1 - Antipartisanship as a Political Identity? The Composition of Antipartisan Groups in Multiparty Systems and the Impacts of Antipartisanship on Democratic Representation, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The proposed post-doctoral research explores antipartisanship in multi-party systems and challenges prevailing views in the Social Sciences by considering it not as a simple one-dimensional opposition to a specific political party, but as a conglomerate of distinct political, ideological, and social identities that influence the choices of voters. When combined, these identities have the potential to produce electoral impacts. Contrary to the classical literature on affective partisanship, we will argue that antipartisanship does not constitute a political identity. Focusing on an in-depth study of Brazil and Argentina, the research will employ an integrative multimethod approach (cf. SEAWRIGHT, 2016). The quantitative stage involves a cluster analysis, aiming to identify different typologies within the same categories of anti-party sentiment - antipetismo in Brazil and antikirchnerismo in Argentina - using data from post-election surveys. The qualitative stage will include focus groups to explore narratives, rhetorical mediations, and the structuring of the political landscape among different clusters of anti-party sentiment identified in each of our cases. The 24-month post-doctoral research schedule, supplemented by a BEPE period to be conducted in Buenos Aires, will encompass both phases of the research for the two countries. Ultimately, the study aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of an emerging political phenomenon, exploring its meaning and implications for democratic representation. (AU)