Populism, past and present

Populism is a polysemous cultural and political phenomenon of considerable importance today. But it's not new - quite the contrary. Its evolution can be traced back to the 19th century, when it developed in the otherwise different socio-political contexts of Russia, Germany, France and the United States. In the twentieth century, it reached new heights through the genesis and development of fascism. But while it paused in the decades following the end of the Second World War, it has come back with a vengeance in the last twenty years, during which it has been able to flourish thanks to a once again favourable economic climate. In this respect, it should be noted that populism tends to grow in a context where various phenomena relating to so-called «globalization» combine: the export of capital and jobs, precariousness and uncertainty, the dissolution of cultural identities, the alleged indifference of a political class cut off from «real issues», the resurgence of primordial nationalism, and so on.

A number of crucial questions then arise: how do today's right-wing populisms integrate the old prejudices carried by anti-intellectualism? Are we, as some believe, witnessing a return to the 1930s? Is there a connection between the rise of populism and the hardening of political correctness? While many manifestations of populism are clearly on the right, is there such a thing as left-wing populism? And what about Quebec?

This collective work serves no militancy. Rather, it draws on the complementary perspectives of the human sciences and philosophy to analyze certain facets of the complex world of populism, past and present. It brings together a number of original contributions.