Understanding Populism

Understanding Populism offers a concise and analytically rigorous guide to one of the most contested concepts in contemporary politics. The volume is driven by a clear objective: to advance understanding of populism by systematically dismantling the myths that continue to dominate public discourse and, at times, academic debate. The book approaches populism as a coherent yet flexible set of ideas that can be analysed through careful conceptual clarification and comparison. The book opens with an unconventional introduction structured as a dialogue, directly addressing common misunderstandings and establishing the volume’s analytical orientation. The core of the book consists of 101 short chapters organised into six thematic sections, each devoted to critically examining a central myth about populism. Each section concludes with a synthetic reflection highlighting key insights.