Populism

Reviews / Votes

This book makes a crucial point: Latin America's long history of populism cannot be forgotten or brushed aside. This is true for both theoretical and empirical studies that aim at influencing global discussions or understandings of populism. As in so many areas of politics and International Relations, more attention needs to be given to the non-western world when it comes to understanding political phenomena. -- International Affairs In a time where work on populism has become increasingly Euro- and US-centric, this excellent volume very welcomely restores Latin America to its rightful place at the centre of the analysis of populism. With a wide range of case studies, this book refuses to settle for easy answers when it comes to populism's relationship to democracy, and as such, offers an important and nuanced counterpoint to much commentary on the phenomenon today. -- Benjamin Moffitt, Australian Catholic University An ambitious effort to identify and analyze the disparate strands of populism in Latin America, utilizing country case studies, drawing on classical and contemporary forms, distinguishing right and left tendencies, and delving into theoretical and practical experience in the region. An anthology of great interest for both students and academics. -- Ronald H. Chilcote, Professor Emeritus of Economics and Political Science, University of California, Riverside, and Managing Editor of Latin American Perspectives A timely reminder of the centrality of Latin America to theorizing populism. By foregrounding the variegated Latin American experiences, the essays challenge overly static, Eurocentric frameworks. Individually, the essays offer fascinating case studies of "actually existing" populism, while together they propose a deep and thoughtful lens to study complex political processes. An outstanding collection of essays that provides an insightful and challenging analysis of populism. -- Mo Hume, Professor of Latin American Politics, University of Glasgow Debates on populism are not new in Latin America, but they have been updated in recent years due to the disputes surrounding the characterization of the progressive and popular governments that grew in Latin America and the Caribbean in the first decades of the twenty-first century, as well as by the conservative, retrograde and right-wing figures that have emerged more recently in the region and in the world.



This work has the courage to propose a rigorous and relevant perspective of populism from Latin America and the Caribbean. Likewise, this publication does not avoid disputes around its intellectual, historical, sociological and political dimensions. Undoubtedly, it is a book that will mark a milestone in the analysis of populism and its reading will be of benefit both for those who study this subject, and for those who settle their discussions in the political and social arena in the region and in the world. -- Pablo Vommaro, Research Director, Latin American Council for Social Studies