Populist leaders have been gaining traction globally for the best part of the 21st century. The core of their leadership strategy is to become the embodiment of the people and speak on their behalf, against the elites, institutions and minority groups. The “people” according to populist leaders such as Donald Trump and Narendra Modi, are a homogenous group who are virtuous and pure and have been systematically betrayed by the elites. Essentially, in populist discourse, minority communities are often the scapegoats and the reason for the current anguish experienced by the majority.
Minorities can be categorised based on ascriptive characteristics such as religion, race, caste, and gender. Populist leaders frame the minority as existential threats to the majority in terms of national or cultural identities. They claim that the minority will dilute traditions or the majority’s way of life. In extreme cases, the populist leader makes extraordinary claims that the minority will become the majority if the current majority does not stand up for itself immediately. A sense of urgency of mission is created based on irrational logic.
For instance, the narrative of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is that the Muslims in India will grow to become the majority and mistreat Hindus if the Hindus don’t rise to safeguard themselves. This claim is a statistician’s nightmare because Muslims account for 15% of the total Indian population, while Hindus form 75%. A swing of such magnitude would take at least three centuries if not more. However, inducing fear and threat takes little rational thought, and this is where populist leaders flourish.
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This pattern of framing the minority as a threat is not limited to India; it can be seen in the US, UK, Europe, South America, and East Asia. In such scenarios, minorities are labelled as the “other” and excluded in ways that echo prejudice, often leading to discrimination, with democratic institutions manipulated by leaders to fit their anti-liberal vision of the world. In such a climate of minority detestation, the important question that needs to be asked is how can minorities sustain and protect their rights?
What can minority communities do?
Social psychology, particularly through the lens of minority influence theory, offers valuable insights into how minority groups can counter these dynamics, shift societal narratives and ultimately shape public opinion and policy in their favour.
Populism thrives on exploiting the basic human tendency to categorise others and ourselves into ingroups and outgroups. This process of categorisation has many benefits as it allows us to make sense of ourselves in a social world and associate with those who are similar to us, while distancing ourselves from those that do not fit our way of being.
This separation does not mean we dislike the outgroup. It only means that the outgroup is different than us. What is important to note is that these categorisations are flexible, as an individual has many identities based on gender, caste, religion, race and so on. Therefore, a friend can simultaneously be a part of our ingroup and outgroup, where we share similar genders but different castes or religions.
Unfortunately, populist leaders use this tendency to categorise people and remove the real flexibility in our social categorisations. They use rhetoric that amplifies fear and hostility toward outgroups and makes identities more rigid, leading to distrust and dislike towards outgroups. For instance, populist discourse in Northeast India often portrays racial minorities, such as mainlanders, as outsiders, even though they have long settlement histories and are integrated into northeastern societies. The tactic of dividing the ‘pure people’ against elites and minorities that are corrupt, while divisive, can be deeply effective because it appeals to emotions rather than reason.
Coherence
But are minorities truly powerless in the face of such opposition? Research by social psychologists shows how minorities can drive significant societal change. Serge Moscovici’s work on the minority influence theory demonstrated how minorities can influence the majority if they adopt consistent, confident, and coherent positions. The amalgamation of these three aspects is especially effective when the minority holds on to its core principles but remains open to dialogue and flexibility rather than attached to dogmatic worldviews.
To apply these principles in the context of modern populism, minorities must first have a unified message. Fragmentation will dilute their influence as the message will seem less coherent, whereas a united front will amplify their voice. For instance, LGBTQ+ movements across the globe have increasingly embraced intersectionality by recognising the interconnectedness of struggles based on race, gender and sexual orientation. Embracing this inclusivity strengthens the movement’s message, making it more compelling to both allies and the broader public.
Consistency
In addition to coherence, minorities must focus on consistency. Moscovici’s research found that when minority groups maintain their stance over time, they become harder to ignore. A striking example is the civil rights movement in the US, which exemplified how marginalised groups can use consistency and moral clarity of messaging to challenge prejudiced social norms and remain unwavering despite violent opposition. The consistency of using the nonviolent approach, similar to that of the Indian independence movement, brought forth the moral superiority of the cause, forcing the majority to accept broader societal shifts.
Fostering genuine dialogue
Meaningful interactions between groups are also essential to help minorities maintain support. Populist leaders attempt to divide society into “us vs them” to dehumanise outgroups. When populists devolve into such discourse, the reaction of the minority is to aggressively take up the outgroup’s role and behave in an anti-majority manner. This reaction, while natural, is exactly what the populist leader hopes for, as it caused further divide.
To counteract populist narratives, genuine dialogue becomes important to challenge stereotypes and help humanise minority experiences. Interfaith dialogues and community outreach programs are effective in bridging divides as they bring people in contact with one another. These methods open up opportunities to break barriers and are especially useful in regions where populist rhetoric has deepened mistrust. For example, in France, grassroots efforts to bring Muslim and non-Muslim communities together have helped counteract the Islamophobic narratives often propagated by far-right parties.
Populist leaders often frame minority rights as a zero-sum game, suggesting that granting rights to one group comes at the expense of another. This is simply not true. Instead, it is indicative of an evolved society that is focused on universal values. For instance, marriage equality for LGBTQ+ groups have been reframed as issues of love and family which are more universal and resonate across cultural and political divide.
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Influencing the majority is a critical piece of the puzzle but it is not enough. It takes time to influence significant portions of the majority and bring them toward the minority’s worldview. During those moments, minority groups must show resilience. Often, a shared sense of history, culture and purpose can empower minority communities to weather the storms of populist hostility.
A strong collective identity is essential to resist the populist divide. At the same time, minorities must not retreat to the background and must continue to participate in political processes to ensure their representation. Struggles for equal rights for Dalits in India serves as a good example.
Finally, forming allies with members of the majority is essential for minority communities. Moscovici’s research highlights how “defections” from the majority, where individuals from the dominant group adopt or share the minority’s perspective, were necessary to drive change.
These defections or allies can create a tipping point that accelerates societal change and safeguards the minority. The objective for the minority is not to seek to change the minds of the majority members actively. Rather, it is working with defectors, in collaboration, towards a common mission of inclusivity. For example, white allies who denounced apartheid in South Africa were essential in building reform.
The rise of populism is hugely problematic for liberal democratic societies and minorities. But it is during such difficult times that real change and transformation can occur. Although challenging, minority groups can see this period as an opportunity to demonstrate their transformative power by cultivating unity, engaging in dialogue and maintaining consistent advocacy. Minority groups may start on the margins but their ideas, when expressed with clarity, courage, and coherence can reshape the world. In an era of resurgent populism, that is a lesson worth remembering.
Bhasker Malu is associate professor at the Jindal Institute of Behavioral Sciences.
