Spectacle, Populism & the Fate of Democracy

Trump grinning behind a McDonald's counter; Putin posing shirtless on horseback like a kitsch garage calendar. Political theatre is nothing new, but the arena has changed. We now inhabit an attention economy where spectacle is currency, populist leaders are expert spenders, and democracy pays the price.

Too often, pundits and scholars alike dismiss these stunts as mere gimmicks, convinced they are peripheral to "real" politics. Yet it is precisely here, in these seemingly throwaway acts, that the contest for legitimacy is fought and won.

Understanding how political theatre works—and why it burrows under the skin—is essential for anyone who cares about the future of democracy. These spectacles do more than entertain or distract; they stir longing, travel frictionlessly through digital networks, and harden the political imagination into rage. They expose the engine of populist power: that slippery, manufactured quality we call "authenticity." To name its mechanics is to begin breaking its spell.

About the author

I’m Goran Đurić, PhD, a Serbian–Australian scholar of political performance. Having lived through both the collapse and the turbulent rebuilding of democracy in Serbia, I became interested in how political spectacle fuels the authoritarian turn of our time and how pro-democracy movements resist it.

The Authoritarian Playbook brings this research into public view through commentary, case studies, and practical resources.