ABSTRACT

This book provides a comprehensive interpretation of the multiple manifestations of populism using Italy, the only country amongst consolidated constitutional democracies in which populist political forces have been in government on various occasions since the early 1990s, as the starting point and benchmark.

Populism is a complex, multi-faceted political phenomenon which redefines many of the essential characteristics of democracy; participation, representation, and political conflict. This book considers contemporary versions of populism that pose a real challenge to representative and constitutional democracy. Contributors provide an integrative interpretation of populism and analyse its principal historical, social and politico-legal variables to provide a multi-dimensional reflection on the concept of populism, comprehensive analysis of the populist phenomenon and a theoretical and comparative perspective on the diverse political experiences of populism.

Based on conceptual and interdisciplinary reflections from expert authors, this book will be of great interest to scholars and post-graduate students of cultural studies, European studies, political sociology, political science, comparative politics, political philosophy, and political theory with an interest in a comparative and interdisciplinary theory of populism and its manifestations.

chapter |13 pages

Introduction

Multiple populisms. Italy as democracy’s mirror

part I|49 pages

Which people for what form of democracy?

part II|59 pages

Populism and the transformation of parties

chapter 5|20 pages

“Particracy”

The pre-populist critique of parties and its implications *

chapter 6|18 pages

Populist anti-party parties

part III|54 pages

Populism and the transformation of the public sphere

part IV|70 pages

Populism and the transformation of politics

chapter 10|15 pages

Citizen democracy

New politics in new participation models

chapter 11|20 pages

The populist assault on the constitution

Edited ByPaul BlokkerORCID Icon

chapter 12|26 pages

Four Italian populisms

chapter |7 pages

Conclusion

The Italian populist challenge in comparative perspective