Populism and the Crisis of Democracy Volume 1: Concepts and Theory

"The debates on populism may have reached a certain state of consolidation, but the search for a conceptual framework and the definition of its key elements is still going on. The book offers a wide variety of positions including the proposal to avoid the term altogether. It is an important contribution laying ground for further research. Populism is no longer seen as a transitional phenomenon, it is here to stay, and its meaning is inextricably linked to the meaning of democracy itself. Rich in theoretical and empirical information, the volume provides a comprehensive view of the state of the art and offers important considerations on how to deal with populist phenomena."

Karin Priester, Professor of Sociology and Political Theory, University of Münster

"Populism and the Crisis of Democracy is a vital and sadly very necessary project for our troubled times after Brexit, the election of Trump, the rise of right wing authoritarian parties and regimes across Europe, as well as the success of the Five Star Movement and the Northern League in Italy. Questioning traditional concepts and theories of populism that too easily talk of a populism of the right and left, as if the middle-ground of liberal democracy has held firm, this important collection helps to shape new political imaginations. In the face of growing racism, anti-immigrant xenophobia and a politics of hate, the project helps to engage new globalised control technologies as we frame new forms of democratic resistance."

"This stimulating volume goes beyond theoretical self-absorption, sociological platitudes, the rounding up of the usual historical suspects, and journalistic exaggeration to provide conceptually sophisticated, context-sensitive, conjuncturally relevant, and profoundly nuanced analyses of the varieties and v