Beyond the leader: an ideational-political logics approach to redshirt movement populism in Thailand

Abstract

By twinning the ideational and political logic approaches to populism, this article offers an original interpretation of the Redshirt movement in Thailand. The article extensively uses pro-Thaksin media sources and booklets to demonstrate how the Redshirt movement in Thailand appropriated the formerly authoritarian Thaksin as an empty signifier. This article fills a significant gap by exploring how ideational elements of the Redshirt movement fostered the emergence of a populist subject that struggled for a liberal constitutional re-foundation of Thai politics.