The Essentialist Core of Populism

• In Event: Populist Movements and Paradoxes of Membership

Abstract

Contemporary populism is commonly regarded as a set of political ideas and practices which award a central position to “The People“ in politics. While on one hand it shares this reference object with democracy, populism is also, on the other hand, commonly viewed as emerging in tension with democratic institutions, and liberal democracy in particular (Abts and Rummens 2007; Mueller 2016; Pappas 2016; Rummens 2017; Urbinati 1998; 2014). These tensions, it is argued here, is a consequence populism’s reliance on ideas and political practices that claim legitimacy on the basis of an essentialist understanding of the people and which employs this understanding as the organizing principle of politics. Essentialism, as an important attribute of populism, resonates with broadly shared definitions underlying the growing field of research on this phenomenon (Canovan 1999; 2005; Hawkins et al 2018; Rovira Kaltwasser and Mudde 2017; Mueller 2014; 2016; Weyland 2001; 2017; Urbinati 1998; 2014). However, considering the centrality of this attribute, surprisingly few have sought to draw out the implications of this trait in a more systematic manner.
Proceeding systematically from the core essentialist attribute helps highlight aspects of populism which existing approaches have neglected or treated in an incoherent manner. In particular it helps us assess more clearly how populism as a contemporary phenomenon embodies specific notions of political representation and participation. This is brought out in this paper by considering the dualism commonly identified at the heart of populism between “the people” and “elites”, often referenced to buttress the notion that populism is inherently associated with the critique of privilege. In fact, an almost universal consensus has emerged on the point that anti-elitism is an inherent attribute of populism. A structured treatment of populism’s essentialism helps us demonstrate that, not only is anti-elitism not a necessary feature of populism, but to the contrary, populism implies an elitist organization of politics. That is, populism, while often associated with anti-establishment and anti-elitist political discourse, actually relies on a form of practical elitism in its concrete operation. As an organizational principle of politics, an essentialist understanding of the people tends towards a notion of political representation that works to effectively curb broad political participation, further cementing institutionalized privilege, rather than contesting it. Drawing out the implications of this core trait of populism contributes to normative debates that inform the study of contemporary populism, and specifically those which grapple with populism’s complex relation to democracy.

References
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Author

• Ludvig Norman, Stockholm University