About Rethinking Populism

At a time when new political actors are mounting electoral and increasingly systemic challenges to contemporary democracies in the name of the people, there is little consensus on the meaning of populism among academics, political activists and citizens alike. openDemocracy has been featuring articles on populist phenomena for some years and has been successful in stimulating a recurring interest. But despite, or perhaps because of the extensive and thought-provoking research on populism, the term has come to denote a range of widely diverse phenomena.

#Rethinkingpopulism is the product of a partnership between diverse organizations, academics and commentators that seeks to bring together voices that don’t often interact, either because they belong to different fields of work, or as a result of geographical distance, to contribute to a vigorous and constructive, yet widely accessible debate and the cross-fertilization of different strands within the populism theoretical oeuvre. This is not only in pursuit of theoretical and conceptual clarity, but it is also an issue of practical urgency if we are to develop effective, progressive political strategies.

#Rethinkingpopulism aims to challenge the monological single-article model and to actively foster critical dialogue. It is a space open to diverse voices and opinions among scholars, activists and citizens alike. To this end it utilizes multiple platforms that can facilitate debate and make it accessible to diverse publics.

#Rethinkingpopulism is edited by Spyros A. Sofos and is supported by a steering committee.