The populist representation of the people in the Italian ius soli political debate

The chapter aims at analysing the positions expressed by two Italian populist parties – the Lega Nord and the Movimento Cinque Stelle – in the political debate regarding the introduction of the ius soli for children of foreign parents born in Italy. The analysis focuses on the parties’ positioning and on the language adopted in different political and communication environments. The results highlight a different evocation of the people by the two parties. The Lega Nord makes use of nativism and identity-based arguments; the Movimento Cinque Stelle envisages the concept of the ordinary people oppressed by the Italian political class.