Populism: A Very Short Introduction
 |
| Anteprima |
Populism
is a central concept in the current media debates about politics and
elections. However, like most political buzzwords, the term often floats
from one meaning to another, and both social scientists and journalists
use it to denote diverse phenomena. What is populism really? Who are
the populist leaders? And what is the relationship between populism and
democracy? This book answers these questions in a simple and persuasive
way, offering a swift guide to populism in theory and practice. Cas
Mudde and Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser present populism as an ideology
that divides society into two antagonistic camps, the "pure people"
versus the "corrupt elite," and that privileges the general will of the
people above all else. They illustrate the practical power of this
ideology through a survey of representative populist movements of the
modern era: European right-wing parties, left-wing presidents in Latin
America, and the Tea Party movement in the United States. The authors
delve into the ambivalent personalities of charismatic populist leaders
such as Juan Domingo Péron, H. Ross Perot, Jean-Marie le Pen, Silvio
Berlusconi, and Hugo Chávez. If the strong male leader embodies the
mainstream form of populism, many resolute women, such as Eva Péron,
Pauline Hanson, and Sarah Palin, have also succeeded in building a
populist status, often by exploiting gendered notions of society.
Although populism is ultimately part of democracy, populist movements
constitute an increasing challenge to democratic politics. Comparing
political trends across different countries, this compelling book
debates what the long-term consequences of this challenge could be, as
it turns the spotlight on the bewildering effect of populism on today's
political and social life.
