Few terms in contemporary
politics are as bewildering to the average citizen and the scholar as populism. Now comes Professor Benjamin Moffitt to the
rescue. His recent tome, _Populism_
(Polity, 2020) is a helpful resource. In this engaging and lucid study,
Moffitt (Australian Catholic Univ.) offers a helpful guide to the
"veritable explosion" in the use and abuse of the concept of populism
in the existing literature, reviewing particular cases in six clearly defined
chapters. While incorporating the insights of earlier studies, Moffitt presents
novel insights from emerging fields of scholarly inquiry as well. Viewing the
term "populism" as representing a construct closely aligned with
political theory (alongside its use in political practice), Moffitt introduces
the major debates in chapter one. His second chapter surveys how particular
scholars have approached the topic, typically concentrating on the separation
of the "people" from the "elite." Chapters 3 and 4 explore
the differences between populism, nationalism, and nativism, and points to the
relationship between populism and socialism. Chapter 5 correctly demonstrates
how populists on both the Right and the Left share an attachment to
"illiberalism" when "institutions and procedures" are
considered. Moffitt's final chapter questions whether populism is a "good
or a bad thing for democracy," without offering any final judgment. The
book makes a solid contribution to understanding populism, while also tending
to affirm the concept’s conflation with common notions of popular rule.
