Book review of Jan-Werner Muller's What is Populism?

Abstract

This is a slim but very valuable book. Müller is erudite about the subject and his treatment of it is both clear and profound—he infuses his normative discussion with dozens of historical examples. The book is a welcome addition to the long-standing discussion of populism, one that spans decades and seems to accompany the latter’s ebbs and flows.1 Its publication is very timely, since it coincides with an obvious upsurge of interest in the topic. The book’s main claims and potential contributions are three. One concerns conceptual clarification; above all else, populism is about anti-pluralism. A second revolves around the relationship between populism and democracy—populism is the “permanent shadow” of representative democracy. The third is about how to engage with populists: While we should avoid talking like populists, we still need to talk with them. We start by presenting these ideas and then turn to a critical review of them