El siglo del populismo

The phenomenon of populism has not yet been fully thought through. Most of the books on the subject have focused primarily on characterizing populist voters sociologically; or in discussing what it is a symptom of (democratic disenchantment, galloping inequalities, the constitution of a world of the invisible, etc.); or in sounding the alarm about the threat it poses. Pierre Rosanvallon proposes to understand this phenomenon in itself, as a coherent ideology that offers an attractive and powerful vision of democracy, society and the economy. If it expresses anger and resentment, its strength lies in the fact that it is presented as the solution to contemporary conflicts. Hence it is the rising ideology of the 21st century, at a time when words inherited from the left seem to resonate in a vacuum. The author presents a documented theory of populism, traces its history in that of democratic modernity, and develops a deep and reasoned critique. Thus, it allows an end to baseless stigmatizations and draws the general lines of what could be a mobilizing alternative to this populism.