Populism and Religion - The Struggle of Family Values

Populism is a political phenomenon that, as Magaret Canovan so aptly put, haunts liberal democracy like a shadow (Canovan, 1999). Cas Mudde (2007) delineates populism's two main themes: the view of society as divided into two antagonist groups - the pure people and the corrupted elites; and democracy understood solely as the expression of popular sovereignty (Mudde, 2007).Religion can perform an important role in populist ideology and strategy in delineating the boundaries of exclusion and inclusion and adding content and justification to the concept of the "people." Among other things, elites are often depicted as distanced and alienated from religion and from the "real" people who remain attached to religious symbols, values and mores. The rise of religious populism is also about questions of policy and, specifically, the role of religion (and, religious authority) in public life. Yet, it remains questionable whether populists employ religion instrumentally against foreigners and elites or are they also committed to religious values and mores.
"Family values" are often used to describe a particular desired order that favors traditional family structures, sexuality and gender roles. The family is described as a source of morality but also social and political stability. This translates towards opposition to gay marriage, single motherhood, abortions and other issues perceived to challenge the traditional family.
In this proposed panel papers who engage with different questions of "family values" (abortions, marriage, gay marriage, and others) in different countries, or comparative studies, are welcome.