Du populisme « par le haut » au populisme « par le bas ». Les apports d’une enquête de terrain à la redéfinition d’un concept flou

Populism continues to be used in the media and part of the social sciences as a vague concept synonymous with nationalism, demagogy or xenophobia. In the face of this conceptual inconsistency Latin America remains a case in point: populism is an integral part of its political history, and the contin...

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Main Author: Federico Tarragoni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut des Amériques
Series:IdeAs
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ideas/6780
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author Federico Tarragoni
author_facet Federico Tarragoni
author_sort Federico Tarragoni
collection DOAJ
description Populism continues to be used in the media and part of the social sciences as a vague concept synonymous with nationalism, demagogy or xenophobia. In the face of this conceptual inconsistency Latin America remains a case in point: populism is an integral part of its political history, and the continental social sciences have sought to define it rigorously in a comparative perspective. It must be noted, however, that Latin American sociologists have often considered populism “from above” as an ideological trait of States, public policies and political organizations. Based on a field survey conducted in the Venezuelan working-class communities (barrios) between 2007 and 2011, this article seeks, by contrast, to examine the modes of politicization underlying populism so as to understand how it legitimizes and reproduces itself in social life through the actions of the very same individuals that are targeted by populist policies—the inhabitants of working class neighborhoods. The aim is to demonstrate that populism "from below" corresponds to a certain type of political experience, i.e. a certain way of integrating community both from within and from without; of regulating the interests of the community members in relation to an ideal of the “common good”; and of instilling in each individual an unprecedented call to emancipation while acknowledging the crushing legacy of precariousness.
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spelling doaj.art-e1889c0951bb4d4c8b52e345b94838032024-02-15T13:54:47ZengInstitut des AmériquesIdeAs1950-57011410.4000/ideas.6780Du populisme « par le haut » au populisme « par le bas ». Les apports d’une enquête de terrain à la redéfinition d’un concept flouFederico TarragoniPopulism continues to be used in the media and part of the social sciences as a vague concept synonymous with nationalism, demagogy or xenophobia. In the face of this conceptual inconsistency Latin America remains a case in point: populism is an integral part of its political history, and the continental social sciences have sought to define it rigorously in a comparative perspective. It must be noted, however, that Latin American sociologists have often considered populism “from above” as an ideological trait of States, public policies and political organizations. Based on a field survey conducted in the Venezuelan working-class communities (barrios) between 2007 and 2011, this article seeks, by contrast, to examine the modes of politicization underlying populism so as to understand how it legitimizes and reproduces itself in social life through the actions of the very same individuals that are targeted by populist policies—the inhabitants of working class neighborhoods. The aim is to demonstrate that populism "from below" corresponds to a certain type of political experience, i.e. a certain way of integrating community both from within and from without; of regulating the interests of the community members in relation to an ideal of the “common good”; and of instilling in each individual an unprecedented call to emancipation while acknowledging the crushing legacy of precariousness.https://journals.openedition.org/ideas/6780populismparticipationdemocracybarriospolitical subjectivation
spellingShingle Federico Tarragoni
Du populisme « par le haut » au populisme « par le bas ». Les apports d’une enquête de terrain à la redéfinition d’un concept flou
IdeAs
populism
participation
democracy
barrios
political subjectivation
title Du populisme « par le haut » au populisme « par le bas ». Les apports d’une enquête de terrain à la redéfinition d’un concept flou
title_full Du populisme « par le haut » au populisme « par le bas ». Les apports d’une enquête de terrain à la redéfinition d’un concept flou
title_fullStr Du populisme « par le haut » au populisme « par le bas ». Les apports d’une enquête de terrain à la redéfinition d’un concept flou
title_full_unstemmed Du populisme « par le haut » au populisme « par le bas ». Les apports d’une enquête de terrain à la redéfinition d’un concept flou
title_short Du populisme « par le haut » au populisme « par le bas ». Les apports d’une enquête de terrain à la redéfinition d’un concept flou
title_sort du populisme par le haut au populisme par le bas les apports d une enquete de terrain a la redefinition d un concept flou
topic populism
participation
democracy
barrios
political subjectivation
url https://journals.openedition.org/ideas/6780
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