The Perils of Populism

From Donald Trump in the U.S. to Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Viktor Orbán in Hungary, and Narendra Modi in India, right-wing populist leaders have taken power in many parts of the world. While each country’s populist movement is distinct, they are united by several key features, including the presence of a boastful strongman leader and the scapegoating of vulnerable populations, especially immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ people, and women.
 
The Perils of Populism shows how a feminist lens can help diagnose the factors behind the global rise of right-wing populism and teach us how to resist the threat it presents to democracy. Featuring interdisciplinary essays about politics in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and India from a variety of acclaimed theorists and activists, the volume contributes to a rapidly expanding literature on gender and the far right. Together, these chapters offer a truly intersectional analysis of the problem, addressing everything from how populism has thrived in a “post-truth” era to the ways it appeals to working-class voters looking for an alternative to neoliberalism. Yet the authors also find reasons to be hopeful, as they showcase forms of grassroots feminist activism that challenge right-wing populism by advocating for racial and economic justice.

Featuring interdisciplinary essays about politics in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and India from a variety of acclaimed theorists and activists, The Perils of Populism shows how a feminist lens can help diagnose the factors behind the global rise of right-wing populism and teach us how to resist the threat it presents to democracy.

SARAH TOBIAS is associate director of the Institute for Research on Women at Rutgers University and affiliate faculty in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department. She is co-editor of Trans Studies: The Challenge to Hetero/Homo Normativities, which won the 2017 Sylvia Rivera Award.
ARLENE STEIN directs the Institute for Research on Women at Rutgers University, where she is also a distinguished professor of Sociology. She has published books about rightwing populism in the US and about Holocaust memory, among other subjects. Her latest book is Unbound: Transgender Men and the Transformation of Identity.
 

Introduction
Sarah Tobias and Arlene Stein
1. Fragile Democracies in a Post-Truth Era
Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Valentine M. Moghadam, and Khadijah Costley White
2. Dispossession: Gender and the Construction of Us / Them Dichotomies
Sabine Hark
3. Ascetic Masculinity and Right-Wing Populism in Hindu Nationalist India
Amrita Basu
4. Hegemony as Capitalist Strategy: For a Neo-Marxian Critique of Financialized Capitalism
Nancy Fraser
5. Feminism and the Anti-Trump Resistance
L. A. Kauffman
6. Organizing for Power: The Grassroots Struggle for Inclusive Democracy
Heather Booth, Jyl Josephson, and Scot Nakagawa
Acknowledgments
Notes on Contributors
Index

"This timely book makes a unique contribution to studies of right wing authoritarianism by applying a feminist and gender analysis to populism. The authors of these essays clarify how populism works and why it succeeds, using language that is both accessible and engaging. This is essential reading for all concerned about democracy’s survival in these perilous times."

"The Perils of Populism brings together various academic and activist positions to shed light on the global outreach of current populist movements and their gendered logics. Building on prior research on right-wing populism and gender, the contributions pursue a feminist perspective on right-wing populism(s), which also emphasizes the core role of neoliberal capitalism for its current blossoming, and considers feminist practices of resistance. A highly valuable reading for understanding the current trends in their complexity."

"This timely book makes a unique contribution to studies of right wing authoritarianism by applying a feminist and gender analysis to populism. The authors of these essays clarify how populism works and why it succeeds, using language that is both accessible and engaging. This is essential reading for all concerned about democracy’s survival in these perilous times."

"The Perils of Populism brings together various academic and activist positions to shed light on the global outreach of current populist movements and their gendered logics. Building on prior research on right-wing populism and gender, the contributions pursue a feminist perspective on right-wing populism(s), which also emphasizes the core role of neoliberal capitalism for its current blossoming, and considers feminist practices of resistance. A highly valuable reading for understanding the current trends in their complexity."