Julian Kuttig

Julian Kuttig's research centres on the making, functioning and resilience ("innovation") of populist, authoritarian, and autocratic regimes/states and movements. Julian’s interests lie at the intersection of the production of public authority, political performativity, popular sovereignty, processes of order-making, governance and (political) violence. His work mainly focuses on student/youth politics as well as on the workings of hybrid media systems in South Asia (particularly Bangladesh) and Sub-Saharan Africa (particularly Uganda). Methodologically, Julian is interested in Political Ethnography, (Critical) Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Comparative Case Study's (CCS).

Julian teaches on Populism, Authoritarianism and politics in South Asia.

In his PhD dissertation, Julian explored the everyday negotiation of public order in urban Bangladesh, studying the mechanisms and everyday practices of party politics in provincial cities.

New Publication: Fragile Victory: Can Bangladesh’s Interim Government Avoid the Pitfalls of the Past?

Bangladesh's interim government faces tough challenges in restoring democracy amid the fallout from Sheikh Hasina's regime collapse and the delicate balance of power.

New Publication: The Battle for Bangladesh: Students Lead the Charge Against Autocracy

Bangladesh is witnessing a renewed wave of student-led protests, pushing the Awami League government to the brink of collapse.

New Publication: Mujib’s Two Bodies: Memorial Populism in Bangladesh

Chapter is published in the edited volume Claiming the People's Past: Populist Politics of History in the Twenty-First Century,

New Panel Presentation: Is Context Everything? Social Cohesion in a Global Perspective

This panel during the annual conference of the research institute social cohesion (14 to 16 September 2023; Leipzig) brings together scholars and practitioners working on social cohesion and reconciliation from different perspectives and academic disciplines, focusing particularly on the African and the Asian continent.

The making of youth in violent conflict

Youths position themselves at the forefront of contemporary violent conflicts worldwide. While violent conflict has often been used as a synonym for (civil) war, for this special issue, we define it more broadly as conflict that involves (groups of) people resorting to violent action and physical violence against others.

Populism in the era of soundbite politics: A conversation with Journalists and Researchers from Southern and Eastern Africa as well as South and South-East Asia

Populism is a global phenomenon, yet it takes distinct local and regional shapes. Often conceptualized as a discursive style (cf. Laclau 2005), populism has increasingly been analysed through its socio-cultural performative elements (i.e., Ostiguy, Panizza and Moffit 2021)

Populism in conflict

Populism has become a buzzword in popular and media discourses in recent years. Academic debates on the concept of populism—what it is and is not, where to look for it, and its normative prescription—have been highly contested.

The moral politics of violent death in Bangladesh

This project wants to understand how rebel groups and societies deal with violent death as a part of civil strife.

Adolescent Autocracies: Pro-government student groups in resurging authoritarian regimes

Students and universities have traditionally been considered bastions of (democratic) resistance.

Current research projects:

The making of youth in violent conflict

Youths position themselves at the forefront of contemporary violent conflicts worldwide. While violent conflict has often been used as a synonym for (civil) war, for this special issue, we define it more broadly as conflict that involves (groups of) people resorting to violent action and physical violence against others.

Populism in the era of soundbite politics: A conversation with Journalists and Researchers from Southern and Eastern Africa as well as South and South-East Asia

Populism is a global phenomenon, yet it takes distinct local and regional shapes. Often conceptualized as a discursive style (cf. Laclau 2005), populism has increasingly been analysed through its socio-cultural performative elements (i.e., Ostiguy, Panizza and Moffit 2021)

Populism in conflict

Populism has become a buzzword in popular and media discourses in recent years. Academic debates on the concept of populism—what it is and is not, where to look for it, and its normative prescription—have been highly contested.

The moral politics of violent death in Bangladesh

This project wants to understand how rebel groups and societies deal with violent death as a part of civil strife.

Adolescent Autocracies: Pro-government student groups in resurging authoritarian regimes

Students and universities have traditionally been considered bastions of (democratic) resistance.

Publications: