The global rise of populism : performance, political style, and representation / Benjamin Moffitt.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 165-212) and index.

Introduction : the global rise of populism -- The problems with populism -- Understanding contemporary populism : populism as a political style -- The performer : populism and the leader -- The stage I : populism and the media -- The audience : populism and "the people" -- The stage II : populism and crisis -- Populism and democracy -- Conclusion : the future of populism -- Appendix : table of leaders used to discern features of populism as a political style.

"Once seen as a fringe phenomenon, populism is back. While some politicians and media outlets present it as dangerous to the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, others hail it as the fix for broken democracies. Not surprisingly, questions about populism abound. Does it really threaten democracy? Why the sudden rise in populism? And what are we talking about when we talk about "populism"? The Global Rise of Populism argues for the need to rethink this concept. While still based on the classic divide between "the people" and "the elite," populism's reliance on new media technologies, its shifting relationship to political representation, and its increasing ubiquity have seen it transform in nuanced ways that demand explaining. Benjamin Moffitt contends that populism is not one entity, but a political style that is performed, embodied, and enacted across different political and cultural contexts. This new understanding makes sense of populism in a time when media pervades political life, a sense of crisis prevails, and populism has gone truly global"--Publisher's website.