‘The First in the Service of Truth’: Construction of Counterknowledge Claims and the Case of Janša's SDS’ Media Outlets

Abstract

The chapter investigates the interplay of populism, on the one hand, and truth and knowledge production, on the other, in the context of the post-truth condition. We emphasize that such an inquiry must begin by clearly delineating the meaning of populism as such and by applying that understanding to the populist relation to truth and knowledge production, without essentializing or simplifying the relation between the two. To illustrate this, we assess the case of Janez Janša and Slovenian Democratic Party to show how they employ the strategy of ‘counterknowledge’ to assert their belief in truth supported by alternative inquiry. Our findings suggest that Janša and SDS do not necessarily oppose science or expert knowledge, nor do they solely privilege folk knowledge. Rather, they advocate a particular kind of counter-expertise arising from their own epistemic community in which SDS works to portray itself as the only reliable authority on truth. This way, SDS’s truth-claims are part of their hegemonic struggle used to solidify political antagonisms through a hybrid strategy of political cognitive relativism. Analysis thus shows that populists are not necessarily irrational actors who negate scientific epistemology, but rather issue truth-claims as a way of consolidating their political agenda.