ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 first presents Laclau’s discursive approach to populism. It traces its origins to Gramsci’s theory of hegemony and outlines its epistemological, ontological, and theoretical foundations. It then analyses the spatial and dynamic dimensions that distinguish populist discourse from other political discourses. The chapter discusses the important question of the relationship between populism and democracy, which brings together the works of Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. The many affinities between discursive-logical, socio-cultural, and performative approaches to the phenomenon are highlighted throughout the chapter.
