Populism is a peer-reviewed, international journal devoted to promoting transdisciplinary examination of populism in both historical and contemporary contexts. The journal’s fundamental premise is that, while there is currently no coherent frame of analysis, most experts do agree that populism is a complex and variegated phenomenon that should be examined from different theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. Moreover, there is general agreement about its growing importance in the social sciences and about the rather obvious etymological fact that it is predicated upon the positing of an antagonistic relationship between two collective entities: ‘the people’ and ‘the elites’.
However, here is where scholarly consensus ends and disagreement comes to the fore. Some researchers prefer to approach populism as an ideology; others consider it as a mode of expression, a discursive style, a species of rhetoric, a political style, a type of political logic, or an exclusionary form of identity politics. Still others eschew such ideational and discursive approaches in favor of more policy-centered and organizational perspectives on populism as a political strategy, a strategy of political organization, or a political project of mobilization that also includes social movements. Put in an even more general framework, populism has also been referred to as a dimension of political culture. Although these different approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive, they can be usefully associated with three distinct research paradigms identified by Gidron and Bonikowski (2013): (1) populism as political ideology; (2) populism as political style; and (3) populism as political strategy.
Populist currents have characterized many of the most pivotal events and developments in human history—often in times when established institutions lose their normative influence over individual and collective behavior. Aiming to serve as the premier forum for transdisciplinary research, the journal seeks to foster reflection on populism as one powerful way in which societies respond to rapid change in the social order. With that in mind, we also encourage contributions that discuss the impact of globalization on the transformation of the conventional ideological landscape in general and on populism in particular.
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However, here is where scholarly consensus ends and disagreement comes to the fore. Some researchers prefer to approach populism as an ideology; others consider it as a mode of expression, a discursive style, a species of rhetoric, a political style, a type of political logic, or an exclusionary form of identity politics. Still others eschew such ideational and discursive approaches in favor of more policy-centered and organizational perspectives on populism as a political strategy, a strategy of political organization, or a political project of mobilization that also includes social movements. Put in an even more general framework, populism has also been referred to as a dimension of political culture. Although these different approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive, they can be usefully associated with three distinct research paradigms identified by Gidron and Bonikowski (2013): (1) populism as political ideology; (2) populism as political style; and (3) populism as political strategy.
Populist currents have characterized many of the most pivotal events and developments in human history—often in times when established institutions lose their normative influence over individual and collective behavior. Aiming to serve as the premier forum for transdisciplinary research, the journal seeks to foster reflection on populism as one powerful way in which societies respond to rapid change in the social order. With that in mind, we also encourage contributions that discuss the impact of globalization on the transformation of the conventional ideological landscape in general and on populism in particular.
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Politics & government
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