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Populism and the Web: Communicative Practices of Parties and Movements in Europe
by Mojca Pajnik Birgit SauerThe Web plays an increasingly important role in the communication strategies of political parties and movements, which increasingly utilize it for promoting ideas and ideologies as well as mobilization and campaigning strategies. This book explores the role of the Web for right-wing populist political parties and movements across Europe. Analyzing these groups’ discourses and practices of online communication, it shows how social media is used to spread ideas and mobilize supporters whilst also excluding constructed ‘others’ such as migrants, Muslims, women or LGBT persons. Expert contributors provide evidence of a shift in the strategies of mainstream parties as they also engage in ‘Internet populism’ and suggest ways that progressive movements can and do respond to counter these developments. Topics are explored using a cross-country analysis which does not neglect the particularities of the national contexts. This work will appeal to researchers and students working in the fields of media and communication studies, political theory, policy analysis, studies of populism, racism and nationalism, gender, LGBT, migration, Islam and welfare.
Populism as Meta Ideology
by Kire SharlamanovThis book explores the most important aspects of populism as a significant social phenomenon. It recapitulates the approaches to defining populism in the social sciences, singles out the most important concepts in the definition of populism, and presents them to the readership. Specific to this book is that it seeks to promote an approach that sees populism as a meta-ideology, that is, an ideology that uses other political ideologies instrumentally. In addition, the book Populism as Meta Ideology identifies the most important factors that have contributed to the growth of populism in recent times. Modernization, globalization, the crisis of political parties, and the transformation of the public sphere have been identified as such factors. A chapter is devoted to each of these factors in the book. The book concludes by examining the interaction between populism and liberal democracy, both theoretically and practically.
Populism in Central and Eastern Europe
by Roman KrakovskyThe rise of illiberal democracies across Central and Eastern Europe represents an ongoing challenge to the democratic and liberal principles of post-Enlightenment societies. However, considerable debate remains about how to disentangle the complex factors that have contributed to this phenomenon and gain a clearer understanding of the issues shaping the political landscape. In this incisive analysis of the populist phenomenon, Populism in Central and Eastern Europe re-examines the roots of the current political situation, tracing the historical evolution of Central and Eastern European populism. From late nineteenth-century Imperial Russia to Viktor Orbán’s Hungary and Jaroslaw Kaczyński’s Poland, this book offers an innovative approach to addressing these enduring political issues.
Populism in Europe and the Americas
by Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser Cas MuddeAlthough 'populism' has become something of a buzzword in discussions about politics, it tends to be studied by country or region. This is the first book to offer a genuine cross-regional perspective on populism and its impact on democracy. By analyzing current experiences of populism in Europe and the Americas, this edited volume convincingly demonstrates that populism can be both a threat and a corrective to democracy. The contributors also demonstrate the interesting similarities between right-wing and left-wing populism: both types of populism are prone to defend a political model that is not against democracy per se, but rather at odds with liberal democracy. Populism in Europe and the Americas offers new insights into the current state of democracy from both a theoretical and an empirical point of view.
Populism in Global Perspective: A Performative and Discursive Approach (Conceptualising Comparative Politics)
by Francisco Panizza Benjamin Moffitt Pierre OstiguyPathbreaking theoretically and innovative in treatment, Populism in Global Perspective is a seminal addition to the literature on arguably the most controversial and fervently discussed topic in political science today. The book brings together established and rising stars in the field of populism studies, in an integrated set of theoretical and empirical studies centered on a discursive-performative notion of populism. Contributors argue that populist identification is relational and sociocultural, and demonstrate the importance of studying populism phenomenologically together with anti-populism. The truly global series of case studies of populism in the US, Western and Southern Europe, Latin America, South Africa, the Philippines, and Turkey achieves a deliberate balance of left and right instances of populism, including within regions, and of populism in government and opposition. Written in a style approachable to students and specialists alike, the volume provides a substantial foundation for current knowledge on the topic. Populism in Global Perspective is a must read for comparativists, political theorists, sociologists, area studies specialists, and all educated readers interested in populism worldwide.
Populism in Power: Discourse and Performativity in SYRIZA and Donald Trump (Conceptualising Comparative Politics)
by Giorgos VenizelosShifting attention away from policy achievements and effects on democracy, this book focuses on the charismatic function of populist discourse – comprising antagonistic narratives, transgressive style and appeals to the common people. The book puts forward an integrative approach that brings together discourse analysis, analysis of digital media, in-depth interviews and ethnographic methods, and places into comparative perspective the cases of SYRIZA in Greece and Donald Trump in the United States. Theorising populism through the lens of collective identification, Venizelos places the rhetorical and emotional dynamics of populist performativity at the core of the analysis, offering a rigorous yet flexible conceptulisation of populism in power. Against theoretical expectations, findings suggest that both SYRIZA and Trump retained, to different degrees, their populist character in power, although their style and vision differed vastly. This book urges researchers, journalists and politicians to adopt a reflexive approach to analysing the political implications of populism for politics, polity and society, and to challenge the normatively charged definitions that are uncritically reproduced in the public sphere. It will appeal to researchers of political theory, populism, comparative politics, sociologists and ethnographers.
Populism in Power: Discourse and Performativity in SYRIZA and Donald Trump (Conceptualising Comparative Politics)
by Giorgos VenizelosShifting attention away from policy achievements and effects on democracy, this book focuses on the charismatic function of populist discourse – comprising antagonistic narratives, transgressive style and appeals to the common people.The book puts forward an integrative approach that brings together discourse analysis, analysis of digital media, in-depth interviews and ethnographic methods, and places into comparative perspective the cases of SYRIZA in Greece and Donald Trump in the United States. Theorising populism through the lens of collective identification, Venizelos places the rhetorical and emotional dynamics of populist performativity at the core of the analysis, offering a rigorous yet flexible conceptulisation of populism in power. Against theoretical expectations, findings suggest that both SYRIZA and Trump retained, to different degrees, their populist character in power, although their style and vision differed vastly.This book urges researchers, journalists and politicians to adopt a reflexive approach to analysing the political implications of populism for politics, polity and society, and to challenge the normatively charged definitions that are uncritically reproduced in the public sphere. It will appeal to researchers of political theory, populism, comparative politics, sociologists and ethnographers.
Populism in Southeast Asia (Elements in Politics and Society in Southeast Asia)
by Paul D. KennyThis Element is organized around two questions: What does populism mean in the context of Southeast Asia? And what are the causes of populist success in the region? Populism is conceived of as political strategy through which charismatic leaders establish unmediated links with otherwise unattached mass constituencies in their quest to gain and retain power. Having identified all of the cases of populism in Southeast Asia's democracies, the main argument put forward is that populist mobilization thrives in the region because parties are so weak. This weakness is in turn is caused by institutional and political economic factors.
Populism in Venezuela (Routledge Studies in Latin American Politics)
by Ryan BradingPopulism in Venezuela analyses the emergence, formation, reproduction and resistance to a left-wing populist project in a major world oil producer. For readers who seek to understand the historical, economical and sociological contexts that gave rise to a 38 year-old mestizo-mulato Lieutenant Colonel who stormed the presidential palace in a bloody coup d’état in 1992, subsequently returned to the same palace in 1998, but this time, as a democratically elected President, and has been in power since, this book is the right place to start. In spite of opposition attempts to oust President Hugo Chávez and his political machinery from power, this ‘socialism of the twenty-first century’ hegemonic project has succeeded in creating an institutional structure designed to improve the lives of the previously excluded population. An in-depth fieldwork study of a Cuban healthcare programme named Barrio Adentro (deep in the slums) in Venezuela’s poor and rural areas, and the nonviolence Manos Blancas (white hands) opposition student movement - provides a descriptive and analytical account of people’s problems from both sides in a deeply polarised society. The concluding chapter of this book examines Chávez’s intention to stay in power until 2031. An original resource for scholars, students and general readers; this book not only furthers our understanding populism in Venezuela but also provides a sound method to analyse populist practices in other contexts.
Populism in Western Europe: Comparing Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands (Extremism and Democracy)
by Teun PauwelsDespite the increasing academic interest in populism, we still lack understanding of individual factors contributing to populist voting. One of the main reasons for this is that populism is almost always attached to other ideologies which makes it difficult to isolate factors. This book draws on an innovative research design by comparing the reasons to vote for six populist parties which differ remarkably in terms of their host ideology in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany. The results show that populist voters are motivated by their dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy and a desire for more direct democracy. Furthermore it appears that populist parties do not mobilize among one specific social group although deprived groups are generally more susceptible to populist voting. Finally, this study explored why some populist parties persist while others decline. Origins of party formation and how leaders organize their party internally seem the most important factors determining party persistence. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of populism, European politics and contemporary political theory.
Populism, Artificial Intelligence and Law: A New Understanding of the Dynamics of the Present
by David GrantPolitical systems across much of the West are now subject to populist disruption, which often takes an anti-Constitutional form. This interdisciplinary book argues that the current analysis of anti-Constitutional populism, while often astute, is focused far too narrowly. It is held here that due to an obscured complex of dynamics that has shaped the history of the West since its inception and which remains active today, we do not understand the present. This complex not only explains the current disruptions across the fields of contemporary religion, politics, economics and emerging artificial intelligence but also how these disruptions derive each from originary sources. This work thereby explains not only the manner in which this complex has functioned across historical time but also why it is that its inherent, unresolvable flaws have triggered the shifts between these key fields as well as the intractability of these present disruptions. It is this flawed complex of factors that has led to current conflicts about abortion reform, political populism, the failure of neoliberalism and the imminent quantum shift in generative artificial intelligence. It is argued that in this, law is heavily implicated, especially at the constitutional level. Presenting a forensic examination of the root causes of all these disruptions, the study provides a toolbox of ideas with which to confront these challenges. This is a book of originality and significance, which will make fascinating reading for academics and researchers working in the areas of Socio-legal Studies, Legal Philosophy, Political Science, Theology, AI and Neuroscience.The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
Populism, Authoritarianism and Necropolitics: Instrumentalization of Martyrdom Narratives in AKP’s Turkey
by Ihsan Yilmaz Omer ErturkThis book examines how Turkey’s ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan produces and employs necropolitical narratives in order to perpetuate its authoritarian rule.In doing so, the book argues that as the party transitioned from socially conservative Muslim democratic values to authoritarian Islamism, it embraced a necropolitical narrative based on the promotion of martyrdom, and of killing and dying for the Turkish nation and Islam, as part of their authoritarian legitimation. This narrative, the book shows, is used by the party to legitimise its actions and deflect its failures through the framing of the deaths of Turkish soldiers and civilians, which have occurred due to the AKP’s political errors, as martyrdom events in which loyal servants of the Turkish Republic and God gave their lives in order to protect the nation in a time of great crisis. This book also describes how, throughout its second decade in power, the AKP has used Turkey’s education system, its Directorate of Religious Affairs, and television programs in order to propagate its necropolitical martyrdom narrative.
Populism, Eco-populism, and the Future of Environmentalism (Routledge Research in Environmental Policy and Politics)
by James R. Stone Jr.Populism, Eco-populism, and the Future of Environmentalism analyzes the history and language of populism in order to fully comprehend the threat of eco-fascism – paradoxically revealing that it is possible for there to be both progressive eco-Populist and right-wing sham eco-Populist discourses. The book highlights the harrowing prospect that the crises of democracy now confronting countries such as the United States may culminate in forms of eco-fascism in a world increasingly divided over issues of economic and social inequality, immigration, and competition for dwindling resources. The author reveals that there is a language of eco-populism that accompanies Populist and sham Populist discourses of the left and right as ecological crises have assumed a more prominent role in national and global politics. These crises are exacerbated by the willingness of the fossil fuel industry to destabilize democracy in order to forestall government-imposed limits on carbon emissions and elimination of fossil fuel subsidies that threaten their profits. The book, primarily a work of political and ecological theory, draws on the history of populism as well as the history of conservation and modern environmental movements to make an innovative argument – that a radical form of right-wing sham eco-populism that emerged out of the crucible of the energy crisis and recession of the 1970s has substantially contributed to the crises we now face. The author maintains that the only plausible solution to current political and ecological crises is a progressive eco-populism that combines environmental justice and sustainability with economic and social justice, and offers resources that can help construct a democratic and inclusive movement and culture. A progressive eco-Populist vision has led to proposals for a Green New Deal and the development of the Build Back Better Act currently being considered by the U.S. Congress, but the stalemate between progressive and conservative Democrats over the bill reveals both the compromised state of U.S. representative democracy and the need for a stronger movement to hold politicians and government accountable. This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and researchers of environmental politics, environmental history, and environmental philosophy, as well as sociology, political science, and history.
Populism, Fundamentalism, and Identity: Fighting Talk
by Peter HerriotWhat can populism and fundamentalism possibly have in common? Peter Herriot argues that contrary to their apparent differences, these human phenomena are similar in two basic respects. First, they are both reactions against the complexities of the modern world in general, and its current crisis in particular. They propose instead a return to a mythical golden age, supposedly marked by purity and simplicity. Second, they both work in the same way psychologically. Using social identity theory, Herriot shows how both populism and fundamentalism create constant conflict by contrasting a virtuous ‘Us’ with a stereotypically evil ‘Them’. Contemporary case studies illustrate this process at work, and Herriot raises various issues as a basis for discussion, and concludes with hope.
Populism, Nationalism and South China Sea Dispute: Chinese and Southeast Asian Perspectives (Contributions to International Relations)
by Nian Peng Chow-Bing NgeowThis book analyzes two main trends of prevailing populism and nationalism in China and Southeast Asian nations and rising tensions in the South China Sea (SCS) by experts from China and Southeast Asia. The book involves the most recent developments and indicates future trends. This is the first book which goes deeply into the SCS dispute from the perspectives on populism and nationalism and thus highlighting their significance in Asian politics. The broad approach adopted in the book with focus on all important countries expands the scope of readership beyond specific academic community. The book interests academics, policy makers, journalists, general reader, and students of Asian politics. The main body of this book is divided into 8 parts, in which the first section briefly introduces the aims and scope of this book. The following 7 parts look at the new development of populism and nationalism in China and ASEAN claimant states and some important non-claimant states mainly including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, and its multiple effects on the SCS dispute.
Populism, Nativism, and Economic Uncertainty: Playing the Blame Game in the 2017 British, French, and German Elections (Europe in Crisis)
by Delton T. Daigle Joséphine Neulen Austin HofemanThis project offers an in-depth look at the three 2017 elections held in Western Europe: France, Germany, and the UK. With events like Brexit and a general rise in right-wing populism across highly industrialized nations, understanding the underlying causes of increasingly extreme electoral behavior is both valuable and prescient. A highly theoretically-focused and current project, it provides a consistent methodological and analytic approach that uses election study data and primary sources to offer a complete and cogent picture of this complex phenomenon as can only found by examining the attitudes and behaviors of the most powerful of democratic participants: the voters.
Populism, Punishment and the Threat to Democratic Order: The Return of the Strong Men (Routledge Studies in Crime and Society)
by John PrattThis book traces the rise of contemporary populism in Western democracies, marked by the return of would-be 'strong men' politicians. It seeks to make sense of the resultant nature, origins, and consequences —as expressed, for example, in the startling rise of the social movement surrounding Trump in the US, Brexit in the UK and the remarkable spread of ideologies that express resistance to "facts," science, and expertise. Uniquely, the book shows how what began as a form of penal populism in the early 1990s transformed into a more wide ranging populist politics with the potential to undermine or even overthrow the democratic order altogether; examines the way in which the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted on these forces, arguing it threw the flailing democratic order an important lifeline, as Vladimir Putin has subsequently done with his war in Ukraine. The book argues that contemporary political populism can be seen as a wider manifestation of the earlier tropes and appeal of penal populism arising under neo-liberalism. The author traces this cross over and the roots of discontent, anxiety, anti-elites sentiment and the sense of being forgotten, that lie at the heart of populism, along with its effects in terms of climate denial, ‘fake news’, othering, nativism and the denigration of scientific and other forms of expertise. In a highly topical and important extension to the field the author suggests that the current covid pandemic might prove to be an ‘antidote’ to populism, providing the conditions in which scientific and medical expertise, truth telling, government intervention in the economy and in health policy, and social solidarity, are revalorised. Encompassing numerous subject areas and crossing many conventional disciplinary boundaries, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of criminology and criminal justice, sociology, political science, law, and public policy.
Populism, Twitter and the European Public Sphere: Social Media Communication in the EP Elections 2019
by Juha Herkman Emilia PalonenThis volume approaches the relationship between European public sphere and political communication in the framework of establishing populism and social media. The empirical analysis focuses on the comparison between different EU countries during the 2019 EP elections campaign. The data for the analysis was collected real time from Twitter in the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Italy, Spain, Ireland and the UK. during a month period and are analyzed with both computerized quantitative and manual qualitative methods.The book introduces a new perspective in conceptualizing populism in comparative analysis, in which populism is understood rather as an antagonist logic of political identity formation than pre-defined political ideologies, movements or party cleavages. We approach implications of populist construction of ‘us’ and ‘not us’ in national contexts of 2019 EP election campaigns to find out the relationality between different political actors and parties. A special attention is paid to national/transnational and European/Eurosceptic tendencies in campaign rhetoric. By using a unique idea of ‘hashtag publics’ we approach the common Twitter discussions around the elections and ask: what particular topics and themes did different political actors distribute over Twitter during the 2019 EP elections, how were various topics and actors linked to each other, and how were campaign agendas and actors linked to populism?Chapter-No.1,Chapter-No.4 and Chapter-No. 8 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Populism: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)
by Simon TormeyEvery day we hear that the rise of populism threatens democracy around the world, but is this really true? Did populism cause the current crisis, or is it the other way around? To understand the state of our politics right now, we must get to grips with this contested concept. Simon Tormey breaks down the defining aspects of populism, what sets it apart from other styles of politics, and what – if anything – we ought to do about it.
Populism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
by Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser Cas MuddePopulism 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. <P><P> Cas Mudde and Crist bal 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 Peron, H. Ross Perot, Jean-Marie le Pen, Silvio Berlusconi, and Hugo Chavez. If the strong male leader embodies the mainstream form of populism, many resolute women, such as Eva Peron, Pauline Hanson, and Sarah Palin, have also succeeded in building a populist status, often by exploiting gendered notions of society. <P><P> 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.
Populism: An Introduction
by Michael Jankowski Robert A. HuberAfter reading this groundbreaking textbook, you will have a solid understanding of state-of-the-art populism research and be ready to take a deep dive into more complex debates. Every chapter follows a clear and logical structure and employs the following learning features to help you grapple with the complex topic of Populism: • Introduces the most state-of-the-art theories, methods, and empirical findings in populism research. • Examples from populism in different regions of the world to illustrate the variation within populism studies around the globe. • Learn by doing: ‘hands on’ exercises and the ‘measuring populism’ chapters encourage students to play with data and start researching populism independently. • Chapters on hot topics in populism, such as populism, media and political communication, and the impact of populist parties in government. • Various didactical features will allow you to trace your progress and guide you through the text-book. Our expert authors will guide you through each chapter with carefully selected examples from diverse contexts, illustrating the multifaceted nature of populism. Looking at examples from around the world will help you to understand how populism shows up in different political settings. It will give you an introduction to the topic that allows you to command the field of empirical populism research. Robert A. Huber is Professor of Political Science Research Methods at the University of Salzburg. Michael Jankowski is Team Lead for the Data Science group in the Federal German Chancellery. He is also affiliated with the University of Oldenburg.
Populism: An Introduction
by Michael Jankowski Robert A. HuberAfter reading this groundbreaking textbook, you will have a solid understanding of state-of-the-art populism research and be ready to take a deep dive into more complex debates. Every chapter follows a clear and logical structure and employs the following learning features to help you grapple with the complex topic of Populism: • Introduces the most state-of-the-art theories, methods, and empirical findings in populism research. • Examples from populism in different regions of the world to illustrate the variation within populism studies around the globe. • Learn by doing: ‘hands on’ exercises and the ‘measuring populism’ chapters encourage students to play with data and start researching populism independently. • Chapters on hot topics in populism, such as populism, media and political communication, and the impact of populist parties in government. • Various didactical features will allow you to trace your progress and guide you through the text-book. Our expert authors will guide you through each chapter with carefully selected examples from diverse contexts, illustrating the multifaceted nature of populism. Looking at examples from around the world will help you to understand how populism shows up in different political settings. It will give you an introduction to the topic that allows you to command the field of empirical populism research. Robert A. Huber is Professor of Political Science Research Methods at the University of Salzburg. Michael Jankowski is Team Lead for the Data Science group in the Federal German Chancellery. He is also affiliated with the University of Oldenburg.
Populism: Performance, Political Style, And Representation (Key Concepts in Political Theory)
by Benjamin MoffittPopulism is the key political phenomenon of the 21st century. From Trump to Brexit, from Chávez to Podemos, the term has been used to describe leaders, parties and movements across the globe who disrupt the status quo and speak in the name of ‘the people’ against ‘the elite’. Yet the term remains something of a puzzle: poorly understood, vaguely defined and, more often than not, used as a term of abuse. In this concise and engaging book, leading expert Benjamin Moffitt cuts through this confusion. Offering the first accessible introduction to populism as a core concept in political theory, he maps the different schools of thought on how to understand populism and explores how populism relates to some of the most important concepts at the heart of political debate today. He asks: what has populism got to do with nationalism and nativism? How does it intersect with socialism? Is it compatible with liberalism? And in the end, is populism a good or bad thing for democracy? This book is essential reading for anyone – from students and scholars to general readers alike – seeking to make sense of one the most important and controversial issues in the contemporary political landscape.
Populisme et sciences sociales: Perspectives québécoises, canadiennes et transatlantiques (Politique et politiques publiques)
by Elke Winter Victor Armony Emily Laxer Geneviève Tellier Olivier Audet Olivier Bélanger-Duchesneau Olivier Bérubé-Sasseville Joanie Bouchard Stéphanie Chouinard Sylvain Crépon Allison Harell Isabel L. Krakoff Mathieu Lizotte Djamila Mones Sébastien Mosbah-Natanson Anke Patzelt Derek J. Robey François Tanguay Annie VerreaultLe populisme n’a jamais été aussi populaire en tant que concept, tant dans les débats académiques que publics. Il est une des réalités politiques, en particulier dans sa variété de droite, qui a suscité à la fois la plus grande surprise par son ampleur et le plus de questionnements sur sa nature depuis le Brexit et l’élection présidentielle de Donald Trump en 2016. Au Canada, l’actualité politique depuis la COVID-19 semble donner raison à la thèse voulant que ce pays ne soit pas une exception à la vague populiste globale. Dans ce nouveau contexte politique, il devient crucial d’approfondir notre compréhension du populisme à l'aide des outils analytiques des sciences sociales, ce que propose ce volume édité. Populisme et sciences sociales offre des contributions théoriques, empiriques et multidisciplinaires à l’étude de l'un des phénomènes les plus marquants du XXIe siècle.
Populismo en Colombia
by Jorge Giraldo RamirezUn completo estudio sobre el populismo en Colombia y sus consecuencias. <P><P>El populismo reverdece en el mundo. Crece allí donde las instituciones democráticas y liberales fallan. Se nutre del inconformismo y se extiende como una incitación a salidas desesperadas. <P> Pero, a pesar de ser un término de uso frecuente la noción misma de populismo se ha oscurecido en manos de la especulación, la falta de contexto histórico y la ausencia de estudios locales. <P>Populistas a la colombiana busca llenar ese vacío en momentos en que el país, en medio de la contienda electoral que sigue a los acuerdos de La Habana, asiste a la recomposición de su mapa político y el surgimiento de nuevos líderes. <P>En conjunto, el libro reconstruye el origen y sentidos del populismo, sus versiones regionales, los contradictores que han colaborado en su definición y describe las formas que adoptó en Colombia, en tres casos significativos: Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Gustavo Rojas Pinilla y Álvaro Uribe, y otros menos representativos, como Gustavo Petro. <P> De cierre, Jorge Giraldo Ramírez reflexiona, muy a propósito de la actual coyuntura, sobre la probabilidad de otro otro populismo en Colombia.