Populism: A Very Short Introduction

Excellent introduction to the main features of populism! <br /><br />Looking at the diverse elements of demand for and supply of populism, the short study shows the different factors that trigger a populist movement, most often around a charismatic leader claiming to be speaking directly to the "people", while opposing an elitist political establishment.<br /><br />Populism exists in various forms, and is not linked to a specific political conviction, but rather to the cultural circumstances within the society where it occurs. It is a method for a certain kind of challenge to perceived privileges within the power structure of a country, and states the right of the majority of voters to actively participate in and change the political landscape. <br /><br />Mostly against pluralism, elitism and liberal democracy in general, and working with simplistic, emotionally affected language, populists position themselves as outsiders in order to generate a direct link between themselves and their supporters. They play with vocabulary that suggests they speak "honestly" about "topics people care about", and "against privileges", even when their own background does not support that narrative, thus supplying a perceived direct connection to political action that many people long for in struggling democratic societies.<br /><br />The essay does not focus on one single populist, but weighs different political players against each other, comparing their approaches and successes. Thus the far-right populists in Europe are analysed side by side with far-left South American politicians and entrepreneur-populists in the United States. This approach is helpful to understand the bigger picture, the general commonalities in the strategies of populist players. By using a comparative argument, rather than a current case study, the root of the problem is shown. What are the general deficiencies in a specific society which make the rise of a populist possible and desirable to many voters? The answer lies within the political landscape of the specific society, of course, and has different socioeconomic causes in different parts of the world. Populists often raise the right questions and give them the wrong answers, as the author puts it at one point. Listening to the angry questions, and giving them better answers, is the challenge for a pluralist society, in order to protect itself from populist undermining or breakdown - in the worst case.<br /><br />A very informative, worthwhile read - and a perfect complement to other social studies concerned with our era of threatened liberal democracy.

A great overview of political populism, as an ideology. Mudde’s definition is clearly, outlined logically, and linked to a variety of historical case studies. A perfect intro to 2018 History Scholarship context for this teacher.

Good introduction to populism, for me personally there was a bit too much focus on Latin American politics to really understand some concepts (I don't really know much about those politics). Sometimes a bit too generalising, but that is what happens when you do a short introduction...

A great introduction book that discusses the approaches and cases of populism and provides a definition of the term. <br /><br />It starts with making a review and distinction how authors have viewed populism as an ideology, movement, or syndrome and how different regions have different characteristics. <br /><br />The definition they provide is also useful: a thin-centred ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into two homogenous and antagonistic camps. This definition also adds up to the point that populism can be combined with other ideologies and is not rigid like fascism.<br /><br />A good read for those who are interested.

Como introducción está muy bien: explica las distintas ideas y conceptos con ejemplos bastante actuales, lo cual facilita la comprensión cuando, como en mi caso, no has leído demasiado de teoría política. Además, y esto sí que me ha sorprendido, su lectura es muy amena: esperaba que me resultase complicado o, al menos, algo engorroso, pero todo lo contrario. Lo único que me ha dejado mal sabor de boca (y que, por supuesto, no es problema del libro, sólo cuestión de tiempos) es el hecho de que está publicado antes de este auge de extrema derecha que estamos viviendo en España, de modo que, cuando menciona el tema de la extrema derecha populista, de España únicamente comenta que no hay ningún partido que la represente. Me hubiese gustado alguna reflexión sobre la situación actual, pero lo dicho: imposible por cuestión de tiempos. Por lo demás, una gran lectura, muy recomendable.

➥ 2.5 Stars *:･ﾟ✧<br /><br />this was alright. to be honest i have no idea what they're talking about but ok.

They’re just coming up with isms for the fun of it now…?

Ο "λαϊκισμός" των Mudde και Kaltwasser είναι ένας πολιτικός όρος μίξερ, απ' το οποίο ουσιαστικά ξεφεύγουν μόνο τα πιο σκληρά νεοφιλελεύθερα κόμματα. Έτσι υποβαθμίζουν τον κίνδυνο της ανόδου της ακροδεξιάς διεθνώς, κανονικοποιώντας την ως άλλη μια μορφή του λαϊκισμού.<br />Όσο για το μαρξισμό και τα κομμουνιστικά κόμματα οι συγγραφείς ξεμπερδεύουν γρήγορα. Δεν είναι λένε λαϊκιστικά κόμματα, αφού πιστεύουν στην πρωτοπορία της εργατικής τάξης και του κόμματος και γι' αυτό είναι ελιτίστικα κόμματα!

Finally I have located a well developed set of concepts that can be deployed to make Trumpism understandable. For one small example, Trump's insistence that he had a 'yuge electoral majority except for the millions of illegal votes' supports two parts of a populist agenda: enhancing the claim of "speaking for the people", and heightening the sense of crisis that would allow "action in opposition to established institutions" in this case especially the media. But don't believe me, read it yourself.

It is an excellent book if you wish to go beyond the intellectual shortcuts offered by the media outlets and gain an understanding of current political developments, both in Europe and in the US. Written in simple language yet offering a comprehensive analysis of contemporary populism. Most importantly, it is non-judgmental but very objective and balanced when summarising the main features and characteristics of populism. Among too many publications on this subject, this one is wholeheartedly recommended.