Deconstructing Populist Evolution: A Temporal Word Embedding Approach

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Abstract

This study introduces a novel approach to analyzing the discursive evolution in populist regimes, focusing on Hugo Chavez's anti-elitism. Employing word embeddings to examine 384 transcripts of Chavez's broadcasts, the research uncovers specific patterns across a 13-year period. The proposed technique addresses a gap in current populism studies by adopting a computational method to map discursive changes in a continuous framework. The findings reveal a transition in Chavez's anti-elitism, initially directed at the political class, developing into an anti-imperialist stance and ultimately targeting the economic elites. It also sheds light on the timing of these rhetorical shifts, providing evidence of strategic over programmatic motives and illustrating how populists adjust their discursive frames to serve their shifting objectives. Beyond its contribution to the literature of populism in general and Hugo Chavez in particular, the paper aims to open avenues for similar methodological analyses across other political texts.

Author

• Evelyn Simoni