91657 - Democracy And Populisms

Learning outcomes

The course offers an introduction to the concepts and analytical instruments of political sociology to study democracy. Key concepts in the analysis include legitimacy, political culture, the public sphere, and the interaction between politics and society. Particular attention will be paid to the phenomenon of populism e its various forms of manifestation, in a context of the transformation of modern democracy. The students will be engaged in the development of the following skills: - knowledge of the sociological approach to democracy (classical theory/contemporary theory); - the understanding of the role of conflict in democratic society; - the understanding of the role of civil society in democracy; - analytical capacities to comprehend the transformation of modern democracy; -  the in-depth understanding of diverse manifestations of populism; - the understanding of challenges and opportunities that derive from the populist phenomenon. 

Course contents

Modern democracy faces a series of important challenges, and is often seen as in deep crisis. A sociological analysis is fundamental in order to understand contemporary challenges, because it puts in relief the complex relationship between politics and society, and underlines the historical and conflictual nature of modern democracy. The course will discuss various theories and related concepts that will facilitate the comprehensive sociological  analysis of the democratic predicament. In addition, a discussion of the more important challenges of our times, including populism, postnational integration, processes of depoliticization and juridification, and the challenges of global capitalism will be discussed.

 

Classes

1 Democracy: A sociological approach I

2 Democracy: A sociological approach II

3 Democracy: A sociological approach III

4 The history of modern democracy I

5 The history of modern democracy II

6 The history of modern democracy III

7 Contemporary democracy 

8 What is populism? I

9 What is populism? II

10 Rightwing populism

11 Populism and fascism

12 Left wing populism

13 Populism and rights/law

14 Digital populism

15 Populism and popular music

Readings/Bibliography

Readings

Annicchino, P. (2018). ‘Diritto e religione nell'era Trump. La destra religiosa statunitense tra populismo e Corte Suprema’. Quaderni di diritto e politica ecclesiastica, 21(2), 391-402.

Anselmi, M., P. Blokker, e N. Urbinati (cur.) (2018), Populismo di Lotta e di Governo, Feltrinelli (vari capitoli).

Barberis, M. (2020). ‘Dal populismo digitale si guarisce? Tre possibili rimedi’. Ragion pratica, (1), 9-30.

Blokker, Paul (2018), Costituzionalismo populista’, in: Manuel Anselmi, Paul Blokker, Nadia Urbinati (a cura di), Populismo di lotta e di governo, Findazione Feltrinelli.

Blokker, Paul (2023), ‘Public sociology and populism’, in L. Bifulco and V. Borghi (eds), Research Handbook on Public Sociology, Edward Elgar.

Chiantera-Stutte, P. (2018). Mob, people, crowds, and masses: Mass psychology and populism. The Tocqueville Review, 39(1), 157-176.

Cini, L. (2012), ‘Perché (anc)ora società civile?’, in: Società civile, nuovi movimenti sociali e democrazia radicale. Florence University Press.

Crouch, C. (2009), Postdemocrazia, Laterza.

Eisenstadt, Shmuel N. (1998), Paradossi della democrazia, il Mulino.

Finchelstein, F., & Urbinati, N. (2021). Su populismo e democrazia, Bresciani, Marco, Schwarz, Guri, La democrazia dei populisti tra Europa e Americhe, Viella, pp. 31-57.

Gauchet, M. (2005), La democrazia contro se stessa, Troina, Città aperta.

Magaudda, P. (2020). ‘Populism, music and the media. The Sanremo festival and the circulation of populist discourses’. Partecipazione e conflitto, 13(1), 132-153.

Meny, Y. e Y. Surel (2002), Populismo e democrazia, il Mulino.

Poggi, GF (2004), Incontro con Max Weber, il Mulino.

Prospero, M. (2018), ‘La popolocrazia e l’ossimoro di un populismo di sinistra’.

Rosanvallon, P. (2006), Controdemocrazia, Castelvecchi Editore.

Rosanvallon, P. (2009). Democratic universalism as a historical problem. Constellations, 16(4), 539.

Rosanvallon, P. (2017), Pensare il populismo, Castelvecchi Editore.

Tarchi, M. (2015), ‘Populismo, destra radicale, estrema destra. Affinità e false equivalenze.’

Urbinati, N. (2020), Io, il popolo. Il Mulino.

Urbinati, N. (2012), ‘Dalla democrazia dei partiti al plebiscito dell’audience’.

Urbinati, N. (2018), ‘Maggioranza o maggioritarismo?’, in: Manuel Anselmi, Paul Blokker, Nadia Urbinati (a cura di), Populismo di lotta e di governo, Findazione Feltrinelli.

 

Suggested

Anselmi, M. (2018), Populismo. Teorie e problemi, Mondadori.

Antonelli, Francesco (2011), ‘Verso una democrazia multiplebiscitaria?.’ SocietàMutamentoPolitica 2.3 (2011): 153-168.

Baldini, Gianfranco (2014), Populismo e democrazia rappresentativa in Europa, Quaderni di Sociologia, Vol 65, Pp 11-29 (2014).

Caruso, Loris (2017), ‘Reinventare la sinistra. Le basi politiche, culturali e organizzative di Podemos.’ Comunicazione politica 18.1 (2017): 31-54.

Chiantera-Stutte, Patricia (2013), Michels e la crisi della democrazia – ieri e oggi, Quaderni di Sociologia, Vol 63, Pp 175-183.

de la Torre, C. (Ed.). (2018), Routledge handbook of global populism, Routledge.

Della Porta, D. (2011), Democrazie, il Mulino.

Gliozzi, E. (2011). Legalità e populismo: i limiti delle concezioni scettiche del diritto e della democrazia. Giuffrè Editore.

Kaltwasser, C. R., Taggart, P. A., Espejo, P. O., & Ostiguy, P. (Eds.). (2017), The Oxford handbook of populism. Oxford University Press.

Assessment methods

Midterm exam

Final written essay

Office hours

See the website of Paulus Albertus Blokker