Populism and The People in Contemporary Critical Thought

If critical thought can be briefly defined as the activity of unravelling the different scopes of power relationships, this collection of articles draws this task to its ultimate consequences. The people alongside populism-key political categories for the debate of our time-are scrutinised in a variety of dimensions making this book an indispensable read. * Paula Biglieri, Professor of Political Theory, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina * This refreshing volume brings together insights from different strands of thought in the humanities and social sciences to explore the notion of 'the people', its significance for democracy, and its relation to populism. Grounded in political philosophy, affective theory, aesthetics, and political theory, it provides a great springboard for critical reflexivity and interdisciplinary dialogue in the field. * Giorgos Katsambekis, Researcher in Comparative Politics, National Centre for Social Research (EKKE), Greece *

Alexander Stagnell is Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Rhetoric at the Free University of Brussels (ULB), Belgium. David Payne has a PhD in Political Theory, and lectures and researches at Soedertoern University. He is also International Research Editor for Soedertoern University, Sweden. Gustav Strandberg is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Soedertoern University, Sweden.

Introduction David Payne, Alexander Stagnell, & Gustav Strandberg Part I: Political Reflections on the People 1. The People: Proper, Common, Improper. An Interview with Jacques Ranciere Jacques Ranciere, David Payne, Alexander Stagnell, & Gustav Strandberg 2. Demophobia in Politics: Remarks on Liberal Anti-Populism and the Possibility of a Radical Democratic Populism Oliver Marchart 3. Logics of Democracy in the Work of Ernesto Laclau and Jacques Ranciere Mark Devenney & Clare Woodford 4.Disavowals of Populism: The Political Displacement of Homogeneity Karl Ekeman Part II: Toward an Affectology of Populism 5. The Politics of Resentment and Its Pitfalls Samo Tomsic 6. "That's Disgusting!": The Shifting Politics of Affect in Right-Wing Populist Mobilization Maria Brock & Jenny Gunnarsson Payne 7. The People and the Image of the Leader: Reflections on Mass-Psychology Chiara Bottici Part III: The Aesthetics of the People 8.Picturing the People: The Dilemmas of Democratic Representation Paula Diehl 9. Aesthetic Forms of the Political: Populist Ornaments, Cultures of Rejection, Democratic Assemblies Stefan Jonsson 10. The Undivided People: On the Hypothesis of Radical Democracy in Peter Weiss's "The Aesthetics of Resistance" Kim West Part IV: The People beyond the Political 11. Fragmentation of the Idea of the People: The Afro-Brazilian Event Muniz Sodre 12.A Politics of the People and a Politics of the Popular: From the Russian Revolution to "Gramsci's Ashes" Tora Lane 13. Facing People Ramona Rat Epilogue 15. On 'People': Brief Theoretical Notes Michael Marder