Concepts matter when democracy is tested – Cas Mudde, recipient of the 2026 honorary doctorate, visited Södertörn University

“I see it as confirmation of my work,” he says, pausing to reflect. “It is almost a confirmation of my knowledge. Working with the radical right-wing, whilst an outspoken opponent of it, as well as a defender of liberal democracy, and that this work is still seen as valuable.”

He believes that such recognition would not have been as straightforward in the United States, because universities could be reluctant to take a public position on issues that are perceived as politically sensitive.

Research on the normalisation of being the radical right

Cas Mudde, professor of international relations at the University of Georgia, recently visited Södertörn University to receive his honorary doctorate. Over the years, his research has focused on the populist radical right, the development of concepts and political trends in Europe and the United States.

In conversation with Professor Ann-Cathrine Jungar, he described how he has tracked and analysed the rise and normalisation of the radical right.

“Countries like Sweden long considered themselves immune to these types of political trends. But every time I return, the normalisation of the radical right has gained more ground. I have always had the feeling that Sweden is about 15 years behind the Netherlands, but you are catching up fairly quickly.”

What is the populist radical right?

Concepts and definitions are a theme of Cas Mudde’s academic career. Even in his early works, he devoted himself to clarifying what is actually meant by the extreme right, the radical right and populism, and why so much research was talking past itself.

“I have always been fascinated by how often I could read an article, or even a book, about a phenomenon that is never defined. This is astonishing, especially because many of these concepts have very broad meanings. The assumption that we read the same thing into them is empirically incorrect.”

For him, clear definitions are a prerequisite for being able to have a meaningful discussion at all.

“Somehow, my brain could not deal with it. I needed to define things.”

This work has come to characterise much of this field of research, not least due to his distinction between the extreme right and the radical right, and the establishment of the concept of the populist radical right.

On fascism and right-wing authoritarianism

One term that often arises in current political discourse is “fascist” and whether this term should be applied to Donald Trump. Cas Mudde does not think so.

“Most people who call Trump a fascist are reducing fascism to right-wing authoritarianism, and we already have a term for right-wing authoritarianism. Fascism is much more than that; it is a more cohesive and totalitarian ideology.”

At the same time, he is clear that what is occurring in the United States are deeply problematic.

“The Trump administration is openly, in its words and actions, antidemocratic. Trump has repeatedly made it clear that he does not believe in democracy.”

Higher education’s role when democracy is under threat

At a time when both democratic institutions and academic freedom are being called into question, the question of higher education’s responsibility becomes unavoidable.

“As an institution, universities should take a stand. Threats to the autonomy of knowledge must be met by resistance.”

At the same time, he rejects the comforting idea that more education would automatically slow the progress of the radical right.

“I don’t believe that education is necessarily the answer. There are many highly educated people who vote for the radical right. Some of the most brilliant minds were Nazis. We cannot educate our way out of this.

The importance of the humanities and social sciences

When it comes to Södertörn University, Cas Mudde highlights the value of smaller higher education institutions with strong profiles in the humanities and social sciences.
“On the whole, I believe there are benefits with universities that are not dominated by technology, medicine and other large STEM subjects. Such environments create closeness, and the great thing about these universities is that they are accessible. You get to know people, you get to know your professors.”