Yannis Stavrakakis’s Populist Discourse: Recasting Populism Research is a must read for anyone interested in either understanding or researching populism

The book develops a coherent and convincing argument and brings a much-needed clarity to a term that has become universally accepted as key to our current political predicament, yet is so abused to the point that it seems meaningless. As Stravrakakis notes in the conclusion, ‘populism is, very often, not the scandal it is supposed to be, but a precondition for securing, diachronically, a more democratic future’ (151). To do so though, it is thus essential to reflect on our role as academics in the muddying of the waters and the construction of populism as a scandal – something which the book does in a particularly convincing manner.

The book is short (178 pages), but covers a lot of ground and is organised in a way that makes the argument easy to follow. While it is accessible and clear and should be useful resource to anyone serious about understanding populism, it must be noted that it engages with many concepts, theories and schools of thought and thus requires either some preliminary knowledge of the subject or a willingness to go further. To do so, readers can build on the wealth of references provided and Stavrakakis’s in-depth knowledge of the field.

Having set the scene and demonstrated the importance of the book in the introduction, chapter one provides a genealogy of the term and key political movements, making it particularly useful to newcomers. Chapter two turns to the intellectual history of the concept and is a clear highlight in the book. In this chapter, Stavrakakis does not simply provide a chronology of the debates about populism, but rather forces us to challenge how our understanding of populism has been constructed and the power struggles core to the orthodoxies which continue to haunt populism studies to this day. This is something that he comes back to in the conclusion with an uncompromising call for us to do better (156). Chapter three offers an alternative to the more traditional, anti-populist understanding of populism both as a thin ideology and something considered as generally bad for democracy, and centres discourse as key to understanding the phenomenon. Unsurprisingly, Stavrakakis goes back to the work of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe; yet, I would argue that perhaps no one has done as much as he has to provide a fertile environment for new generations of critical scholars and advance the field in this new exciting direction. Whether through his own scholarship and collaborations, the set-up of the vibrant Populismus project or his unwavering support for students and early career colleagues, Stavrakakis deserves recognition for creating the space to think beyond the anti-populist hegemony. As well as making abundantly the importance discourse plays in populism studies clear, this chapter is also a brilliant introduction to wider discourse theory for colleagues and students less familiar with the approach. Chapter four promises a toolkit but it remains unclear whether this goal is actually achieved as the chapter feels more like an extension of the previous. More than a toolkit, it applies the lessons learnt about wider discourse theory in the previous chapter to populism more precisely. As such, it remains illuminating in sharpening the understanding of what populism is and isn’t, and in rebuking in particular the anti-populist construction of populism as a quasi-synonym of far-right politics. The conclusion is a convincing account of why populism should be taken seriously both as a concept and as a potential progressive alternative to the status quo and the crisis of democracy.

For me, three elements set this book apart as a key source. First, it provides a crystal-clear account of the multiple ways in which research on populism has developed since its origins. In particular, and unsurprisingly, given Stavrakakis’s essential role in developing this strand, it provides a thorough account of the more critical research on the topic, something which remains too often ignored in more mainstream publications despite his role and that of other discourse-focused scholars in mainstreaming this approach. Crucially, Stavrakakis also does justice to the work undertaken by many mainstream scholars who have helped advance the field and demonstrates thus the need to be familiar with both mainstream and critical approaches.

While some of his critique is strident, it is part of Stavrakakis’ broader intellectual strategy to challenge deeply ingrained and quasi-hegemonic misconceptions about populism and wider politics and thus advance the field. In these times of great confusion, such frank challenges to the state of the art from a highly respected scholar are not only welcome but essential – which makes it the second key strength. It is clear that for Stavrakakis, this book and wider research on populism cannot be limited to a simple academic exercise or small audience within academic walls. Whether we want it or not, our work has very real consequences, but it is also impacted on by wider society and power structures. It is therefore no surprise to see Stavrakakis centre Anthony Giddens’s concept of double hermeneutics (56-57). This does not mean we should exaggerate our impact and yet nor should we deny or ignore it, something which has been far too often the case with consequences we see clearly today.

Third, the centrality of discourse in populism studies is argued both clearly and convincingly. For sure, this may be a challenge to newcomers less familiar with certain concepts and perhaps afraid to engage with psychoanalytic theory. Yet I believe any scholar of populism engaging with it openly will be rewarded and find themselves challenged for the better, whether they agree with Stavrakakis or not. Overall, what Stavrakakis does in this book, and has done throughout his career, is to encourage us to take our role and research seriously and continuously reflect on our practice and impact, rather than pretend we are mere bystanders or passive onlookers.