In Defence of Populism

Frank Furedi, author and social commentator, is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent. Author of more than 26 books, Furedi's studies have been devoted to an exploration of the cultural developments in Western societies. His most recent book, The War on the Past (Polity, 2024), was a lively attack on attempts by progressives to render our historical inheritance toxic.His research has been oriented towards the way that risk and uncertainty are managed by contemporary culture. His two influential books, The Culture of Fear and Paranoid Parenting, investigated the interaction between risk consciousness and perceptions of fear, trust relations and social capital in contemporary society.

"Frank Furedi has provided the best guide to date on the contemporary rise of populism. Unlike most, he is largely sympathetic and turns much needed fire on the cultural, economic and political elites whose arrogance and class prejudice ironically have been critical to sparking the current populist rebellion. This book provides ample evidence."Joel Kotkin, Chapman University and author of The Coming of Neo-Feudalism"Frank Furedi is essential reading for anybody who is serious about making sense of the so-called 'culture wars' in the West today. Consistently ahead of the curve and unafraid to challenge lazy assumptions, he is the real expert on contemporary political culture."Matthew Goodwin, author of Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics"Furedi unflinchingly exposes left-liberal elites' moral panic over the rise of national populism. The cultural progressive actors who dominate elite institutions are aghast at the masses' resistance to their project of empowering supranational and unelected bodies. In Defence of Populism castigates self-righteous progressive elites who prefer to punish wrongthink rather than engage in democratic debate."Eric Kaufmann, author of Whiteshift and Taboo"Furedi has done it again. One of our era's most penetrating interpreters of culture and European politics alive today, he dissects the moral panic around populism to disclose its true sources: the democratic impulse for solidarity, the yearning for cultural security, and the defiant reclamation by ordinary men and women of their right to be heard. Buy, beg, borrow or steal your way to get a copy of this vital book."James Orr, University of Cambridge"Frank Furedi has written a searing defence of populism. Against the fearmongering of a panicked establishment, Furedi both explains the populist moment and outlines its positive, world-changing qualities. With crystal moral clarity, he encourages the reader to think afresh about the promise of our era. Essential reading."Brendan O’Neill, journalist at Spiked

• PrefaceChapter 1: Introduction: A Spectre Haunting...Chapter 2: A teleology of evilChapter 3: Populism vs Anti-populism Chapter 4: The quest for homeChapter 5: Populism's Defence of the Pre-political SphereChapter 6: A Response to the Condition of Cultural InsecurityChapter 7: Championing cultural continuityChapter 8: Giving people a voice: giving meaning to democracyChapter 9: Conclusion: Taking Control