going to go away any time soon. Despite the wishful thinking of those who dream of ‘the death of populism’ or those who aim to ‘defeat populism’ once and for all, it looks like populism is here to stay; while the time of Donald Trump, Narendra Modi and Marine Le Pen will eventually come up, the fact of the matter is that new Trumps, new Modis and new Le Pens are likely to emerge in their shadows. More so, the legacies of populism will linger: while a populist actor can disappear from the political landscape, he or she can have significant long-term cultural and institutional effects – effects of a kind that, say, a post-Trump Republican Party (and US politics more generally) will surely have to grapple with. In such circumstances, no matter where you stand when it comes to populism – against it, for it, or on the fence about it – the reality is that it matters; it is here and, rather than being a blip on the political radar, has become a central part of contemporary political life. Understanding the concept is thus of vital importance today. Hopefully this book can help you in this key task.
