CO3-Associated Researcher Defends Thesis on Radical Right Discourses in France and Poland

Doctoral Defence: Alexander Alekseev on the Populist Radical Right Hijacking Liberal Democracy in France and Poland 

CO3-researcher Alexander Alekseev defends his doctoral thesis in Lecture Hall PII of the University of Helsinki, Porthania (Yliopistonkatu 3), on Monday, 27 October 2025, at 13:00. The title of his thesis is Hijacking Liberal Democracy? Democracy and Rights in Populist Radical Right Discourses in France and Poland. 

Professor Michał Krzyżanowski of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University serves as the opponent, and Associate Professor Emilia Palonen as the custos.  

The examination is open to the general public. You can also follow the defence online (the video will be available once the examination begins). After the examination, refreshments will be served in the lobby outside the hall. 

Alexander argues in his thesis that rather than simply rejecting liberal democracy, populist radical right forces in Europe have readily adopted the language of liberal democracy and creatively adapted its key concepts, including democracy and rights, to suit their own ideological needs.  

By focusing on the French National Rally and Polish Law and Justice, Alexander examines how populist radical right parties discursively construct the concepts of democracy and rights in different electoral contexts of the European Union and demonstrates how they hijack the language of liberal democracy. Combining theoretical insights from post-structuralist discourse theory with the methodological toolkit of the discourse-historical approach, he convincingly demonstrates that discourses on democracy are employed to appropriate the democratic pillar of liberal democracy, while discourses on rights are utilised to take over its liberal pillar. In other words, the populist radical right uses the structural features of liberal democratic discourses to appropriate liberal democracy and turn it into a vehicle for reactionary agendas. 

Alexander’s thesis is relevant for experts in democracy and populism, specialists in European studies, as well as all those interested in studying discourse, meaning, and social action. The text is available in electronic format from Helda (the library will display the thesis online five days before the defence). 

The event is organised with the support of the CO3 Horizon Europe project.