Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9923-4879
DOI
10.22191/BUUJ/10/2/11
Faculty Sponsor
Kaan Sener
Abstract
The question of representation and its typology is still an ongoing discussion in the literature. There has, however, been a seminal approach, first posited by Hanna Pitkin, discussing a polysematic view of representation. There has, however, been a lack of coverage of how political parties utilize the different forms of representation Pitkin describes. This project studies political posters around the city of Leipzig, Germany, categorizing them based on their displayed messages into the three applicable types of representation (Symbolic, Descriptive, and Substantive). Through this lens, we will analyze how the political parties in Germany use these differing representation styles, and examine these differences in a broader discourse about establishment and nonestablishment representation. I argue that nonestablishment parties will use more symbolic representation because nonestablishment parties–particularly populist parties–require a type of party identification that comes from atypical discourses. The difference in representation style displays the political position of the different parties in the German political system and displays a critical aspect of populist representation against typical liberal-democratic representation.
Recommended Citation
Elie-Pierre, N. T. (2025). Representation Styles amongst Establishment and Non-Establishment Parties in Germany. Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.22191/BUUJ/10/2/11
