The spirit of populism: sacred, charismatic, redemptive, and apocalyptic dimensions

Abstract

ABSTRACT Populism is a global phenomenon with a power and resilience that frequently surprises political observers. This article builds from the theoretical work of Margaret Canovan and others to investigate the “spirit” of populism in terms of its quasi-religious and post-rational dimensions. It puts forward a theoretical account of four spiritual dimensions of populism: the sacred, charismatic, redemptive, and apocalyptic. Each of these dimensions is underpinned by previous research from political science, sociology, and the study of New Religious Movements, and is explained with various international case examples of populist leaders and movements ranging from India to the United States. The four dimensions are brought together in a shared analysis here for the first time. It is argued that these dimensions together amount to emotionally powerful dynamics that give the meaning-orientation and motivation that propel populist movements forward and hasten democratic backsliding.