Populisme verleden tijd?

Author(s)

  • Dirk Jan Wolffram Groningen University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18352/bmgn-lchr.8074

Keywords:

Political Culture

Abstract

Is Populism a Thing of the Past?


Is populism a category that contributes to our understanding of politics and its history? A large number of books are dedicated to populism and new titles are published weekly. In this article the balance is drawn up by judging books with different scientific pretentions, but with two features in common. Inspired by a number of classical studies on populism they try to interpret the state of Dutch politics, and at the same time offer a reinterpretation of aspects of the recent and less recent Dutch past. On the basis of a review of these books one has to conclude that populism, unlike the classical ‘isms’ of the history of politics, appears to be too diffuse to be a useful category for an interpretation of the political development in the last decade, or more generally as a phase in the development of democratic political systems.


Reviewed books:

Baalen, Carla van, e.a. (eds.), Waar visie ontbreekt, komt het volk om (Jaarboek Parlementaire Geschiedenis 2011; Amsterdam: Boom, Nijmegen: Centrum voor Parlementaire Geschiedenis, 2011, 239 p., isbn 978 94 6105 546 0).
Berger, Peter L., Zijderveld, Anton C., Lof der twijfel. Hoe we overtuigingen kunnen koesteren zonder daarbij fanatiek te worden(Amsterdam: Cossee, 2010, 204 p., isbn 97890 5936 266 6).
Heijne, Bas, Moeten wij van elkaar houden? Het populisme ontleed (Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij, 2011, 143 p., isbn 978 90 234 3587 7).
Pels, Dick, Het volk bestaat niet. Leiderschap en populisme in de mediademocratie (Amsterdam: De Bezige Bij, 2011, 255 p., isbn 978 90 234 5391 8).
Wielenga, Friso, Hartleb, Florian (eds.), Populismus in der modernen Demokratie. Die Niederlande und Deutschland im Vergleich(Münster [etc.]: Waxmann, 2011, 244 pp., isbn 978 3 8309 2444 9).
Zijderveld, Anton C., Populisme als politiek drijfzand (Cossee essay 8; Amsterdam: Cossee, 2009, 108 p., isbn 978 90 5936 250 5).

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Published

2012-06-25

Issue

Section

Review Articles

How to Cite

Populisme verleden tijd?. (2012). BMGN - Low Countries Historical Review, 127(2), 55-74. https://doi.org/10.18352/bmgn-lchr.8074