This thesis is an interdisciplinary examination of the convergence of religion and politics in populist leadership. I use the case studies of Juan Domingo Perón in Argentina in the 1950s and of Salvador Allende in Chile in the 1970s to explore the efficacy of this leadership style. In this study, I identify three actors: the president, the Catholic Church establishment, and the base of support (the people or the “led”). The relationship between each of these actors is key in producing a specific mode of populism, which in turn is viable in different ways. Although both cases occurred over fifty years ago, populism is once again relevant today. Understanding the ways in which a political candidate can manipulate religious sentiment is instrumental to being an informed citizen.

Links to Project Materials:

College of Arts & Sciences 2020, Social Science Projects 2020, 2020