Populism and the American Left

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

Populism and the American Left

At least since the emergence of the Populist movement in the early 1890’s, “populism” has formed an integral part of the political culture of the American Left. The Left’s visions of democratic renewal have often operated under the spell of what historian Michael Kazin calls “the populist persuasion:” a style of politics that pits “the people” against “elites” who usurp public power to secure illegitimate privilege. Populist languages have proven remarkably resilient in American radicalism - they have shaped generations of popular movements’ understandings of inequality, redistribution, and the boundaries of the demos - and they continue to inform debates in contemporary political theory and the public sphere. Today, calls to confront a rising populism of the right with an inclusive and grassroots populism of the left have again achieved currency, with politicians like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders often understood as bearers of this hope.

At a time when populism is alternatively understood as threat to representative democracy or a sign of its revitalization, how should we understand the legacy bequeathed to us by the original Populists? Is there a coherent “Populist tradition” that is retrievable on the the left and worthy of normative defense? If so, what are the economic and political dimensions of its democratic vision, ranging from its critique of corporate power to its understanding of democratic representation and political strategy? How were the Populists’ legacies carried forward as a state-making force (institutionalized within a transformed Democratic Party) and in subsequent social movements and minor parties? What lessons might Populism offer for the possibilities of partisan realignment during our New Gilded Age? At the grassroots level, what attitudes lead dissatisfied Americans to support left-wing populists, and how does the political rhetoric of movements and their leaders mobilize these attitudes? Through a synthesis of democratic theory, empirical study, and American political history, these papers will try to elucidate the stakes of claiming “populism” as a central category for the left, bringing together political theorists, political scientists and historians of political thought.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 7: Politics and History

Cosponsor

• DIVISION 42: New Political Science

Individual Presentations

• Populists and Realignment: Party Transformation Strategies Past and Future - Elizabeth Sanders, Cornell University

• “Soulless Monsters and Artificial Men” - Anton Jäger, Cambridge University

• Eugene Debs, Populism, and the Cooperative Commonwealth - Ed Quish, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

• Modern Left Populism in the U.S.: From Occupy Wall Street to Bernie Sanders - Rachel Meade, Brown University

Chair

• Jason Frank Cornell University

Discussant

• Thea Nadja Riofrancos Providence College