Популисткото условие. Концептуални моменти
The Populist Condition: Conceptual Remarks

Summary/Abstract: In the last 15-20 years “populism” has become a highly popular characteristic in the public discourse. In most cases it carries negative value connotations and, as of today, is used for practically all kinds of behaviors in politics. Even accusations of being a populist become subject of a contrary critique being qualified as populist. The paper propounds a critical analysis of populism by focusing on three of its widespread usages: as a characteristic of politicians and their organizations, as an ideological platform, and as a political marketing technique. These approaches to populism and the associated usages of the word do not provide sufficient information about the ways and conditions a populist wave could rise nor about how it could organize itself into a political movement. In all three views populism is taken as an autonomous political position whose public base remains indeterminate yet presumed self-evident. At the same time populism is not only compatible with democracy, it also has its roots in mass democracy. The secret of populism therefore does not lie in the fact that some politician, party, movement, or way of public speech is populist. As an attribute populism is secondary. The essence of populism consists in the condition, the situation in which it acquires mass currency and high legitimacy.

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