Populism, Demagoguery, and Rhetoric in Historical Perspective

One of the most conspicuous gaps in the now voluminous literature on populism is an understanding of populism in historical context. To what extent is contemporary populism a distinctively modern phenomenon? What are its roots and precedents in earlier periods of political history? And how can studying populism in the light of rhetoric and the history of political thought help us answer these questions?Bringing together the work of an international group of eminent political theorists, Populism, Demagoguery, and Rhetoric in Historical Perspective explores the connections between contemporary populism, populist rhetoric, and a wide range of thinkers and topics in the history of political thought, from the ancient to the modern world. Its chapters demonstrate links between contemporary populism and the tradition of rhetoric: for instance, disputes over populist and elitist approaches to rhetorical persuasion, conflicts between the technical expertise of "the few" and the lay opinions of "the many," and debates over models of political leadership and civic education. The volume also draws new connections between populism and demagoguery, a phenomenon that has been discussed by political theorists and philosophers since antiquity. Contributors explore the significant conceptual overlaps between populism and demagoguery (such as their relation to manipulative or flattering rhetoric, and their resistance to systematic analysis), as well as their important differences (such as populism's comparatively greater ideological content). With this wide range of connections in mind, the volume draws on diverse perspectives and methodologies to theorize populist politics in historical perspective, and to enrich the debate surrounding it.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Giuseppe Ballacci and Rob Goodman PART 1 - ANCIENT AND EARLY MODERN THEMES Chapter 1 Parrhêsia: The Unbridled Tongue in Ancient Democratic Athens Arlene W. Saxonhouse Chapter 2 Democracy's Shadow: The Problem of Populism in Plato's Political Thought Tae-Yeoun Keum Chapter 3 "Naked" Speech in Late Republican Rome Rob Goodman Chapter 4 Rhetoric and Republicanism in the Thought of Brunetto Latini Cary J. Nederman Chapter 5 Republicanism and Populism in Early Modern Italian Political Thought: The Case of Democracy as the Rule of the Poor Alessandro Mulieri Chapter 6 On the Battlefield of Rhetoric: Eloquence, Virtue, and Political Legitimacy in Italian Humanism David Ragazzoni PART 2 - MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY THEMES Chapter 7 Demagoguery, Populism, and Political Culture in Cooper's The American Democrat Daniel Kapust Chapter 8 Anti-Parliamentary Politics: Populist Momentum in Historical Perspective Kari Palonen Chapter 9 Vilfredo Pareto on Rhetoric and Populism Giovanni Damele Chapter 10 Palaces for the People, or: Should Public Buildings Persuade Citizens of Democracy? Jan-Werner Müller Chapter 11 Reconstructing Pluralism and Populism: Not "Opposites" but a More Complex Configuration Mark Wenman Chapter 12 Democracy, Plutocracy, and the Populist Cry of Pain John P. McCormick Chapter 13 Populism, Celebrity Politics, and Politainment Paula Diehl Chapter 14 Rhetorical Resonance: From Everyday Speech to Insurrection Simon Lambek Conclusion Giuseppe Ballacci and Rob Goodman

About the Author :
Giuseppe Ballacci is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Ethics, Politics and Society (CEPS) at the University of Minho in Portugal. He has written and researched on topics from both contemporary political theory and the history of political thought, in particular regarding questions related to democratic theory, representation, populism, and rhetoric. His essays and reviews have appeared in journals such as Representation: Journal of Representative Democracy; Contemporary Political Theory; The Review of Politics; Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory; Populism; and Redescriptions: Political Thought, Conceptual History and Feminist Theory. He is also the author of Political Theory between Philosophy and Rhetoric: Politics as Transcendence and Contingency. Rob Goodman is Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he teaches and writes on topics such as populism, rhetoric, and the history of political thought. He is an award-winning author and co-author of several books, including Not Here: Why American Democracy Is Eroding and How Canada Can Protect Itself and Words on Fire: Eloquence and Its Conditions. His current research project on race and American oratory is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. His academic work has been published in journals including the American Political Science Review; History of Political Thought; the Journal of Politics; and Polity. He has also written for publications including Slate, The Atlantic, Politico, Aeon, and The Globe and Mail.

Review :
This innovative contribution situates a modern phenomenon such as populism in a classical context: politics as a discourse aimed at persuading and winning consensus. It is a most useful read that, among other things, complements existing theories that view populism as an ideology and a power strategy. This is a wonderful, rich, timely volume both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Leading scholars of rhetoric, populism, and of the history of political thought explore the relationship between people, speech performance, and politics - from Plato to celebrity culture - showing how the rhetorical analysis of demagoguery and democracy can help us to develop deep analyses, nuanced critiques, and balanced understandings of the challenges (and opportunities) for democracy today. Here is a vital addition to the growing contemporary political theory on the ideology and disruptive politics of populism. Ballacci and Goodman's introduction provides a superb analysis of key accounts of the content of populism. But their great gift is the fourteen essays that bring out a critical, under-explored feature of populism: rhetoric and the connections between political content and form. The force of populism is inseparable from oratory and everyday speech, and the authors drill down into classical and early modern texts and history on demagoguery, as well as into cases of nineteenth and twentieth century left and right populism, examining language, form, and style. This collection is revelatory! What else can be written about populism that hasn't already been said? Very little, one would think in light of the burgeoning literature on the topic. Populism, Demagoguery, and Rhetoric in Historical Perspective proves us wrong. This volume contributes an impressive set of new insights on populism-both as a concept and as a mode of politics-by exploring the dialectics between the content of populism and its distinctive forms and styles, and by excavating the complex relationship between populism, republicanism, pluralism, demagoguery, and representation. With contributions by leading scholars in history of political thought, political theory, and rhetoric, this volume manages the virtually impossible: namely, to renew and inject much-needed nuance into a debate that seemed to have run its course.