The rise of ‘infrastructural populism’: Urban infrastructure and right-wing politics

Item Type Journal Article Author Ross Beveridge Author Matthias Naumann Author David Rudolph URL https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gec3.12738 Rights © 2024 The Authors. Geography Compass published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Volume 18 Issue 2 Pages e12738 Publication Geography Compass ISSN 1749-8198 Date 2024 Extra _eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gec3.12738 DOI 10.1111/gec3.12738 Accessed 2024-08-19 04:01:02 Library Catalog Wiley Online Library Language en Abstract Right-wing populism has become increasingly embedded in contemporary political systems. It poses challenges not only for societies but also for geographical analysis. This review article develops a fresh perspective through examining how right-wing populists are engaging with urban infrastructure. Examining the literature on populism and urban infrastructure we outline ‘infrastructural populism’, a general heuristic to understand an emerging agenda of right-wing politics. Four political fields are identified: (i) urban infrastructure as a field of morals to frame the ‘people’ and the ‘elite’, (ii) urban infrastructure as a field of ideological struggle, (iii) urban infrastructure as a field of national statecraft and (iv) urban infrastructure as a field of everyday practices and politics. The review throws new light on right-wing populism by showing how central infrastructure is becoming to its contemporary articulations, and how the inherently elusive and extensive qualities of populism result in often contradictory political agendas that are both aligned with and articulated against existing politics of urban infrastructure. Short Title The rise of ‘infrastructural populism’