Why no populism
in Po ugal?
Filipe Ca ei a da Sil a
Susana Salgado
10.
250 ci izenship in c isis
in oduc ion
Why s udy populism? Because populism, le and igh , has been on he ise.
Talk o populism is all a ound us: coun less alk shows, columns, and op-eds
ha e been de o ed o i and e e yone seems o ha e a s ong opinion abou
i s dange s. Ye , bo h ou side and inside academia, wha populism means
emains elusi e and how i wo ks is poo ly unde s ood. Hal a cen u y o
populis esea ch has ailed o each a consensus abou a minimal de ini ion
o populism. I has oday se e al di e en meanings, an implici no ma i e
duplici y, and i s ope a ionaliza ion emains a he e y leas challenging.
We p opose a esh app oach o populism and discuss how o es his
app oach agains he Po uguese case (ha ing Spain as a e e ence poin o
compa ison). Fo he pu poses o ou a gumen , we conside he pe iod
be ween 2011 and 2015, he poli ical agen s a e poli ical pa ies, and he
empi ical co pus includes he pa ies’ public discou ses. Theo e ically, ou
app oach supe sedes bo h on ic and on ological app oaches, and ocuses
ins ead on he wo k o a icula ion o con en s wi hin he logic o esen men
by ce ain key poli ical agen s. Me hodologically, in ega d o populism,
Po ugal is concei ed as a nega i e case. We hypo hesize ha he pe o ma i e
a icula ion o he populis logic o esen men by Po uguese poli ical pa ies,
u ning a pa o he Po uguese agains ano he pa in he name o he
“people,” ailed o ansla e in o elec o al success. Ou aim is o shed ligh on
he dis inc i e ea u es o he Po uguese case and on he easons behind he
ela i e ailu e o populis s a egies by poli ical pa ies in Po ugal. To shed
u he ligh on hese dimensions, we also conside a compa ison wi h Spain,
whe e he Podemos pa y nea ly ipled i s sha e o he na ional o e be ween
mid-2014 and la e 2015, and can hus be conside ed a case in which populism
lou ished in he in e ening pe iod.
In addi ion o he In oduc ion and he Conclusion, his chap e includes
h ee sec ions. A i s whe e we desc ibe he a ionale behind ou idea and
app oach o populism; a second whe e we u he explain he unde lying
heo y and ou p oposed me hodological app oach o s udy he use o populis
he o ic; and a hi d in which we discuss he empi ical implemen a ion o ou
app oach based on ou cases o wel a e e enchmen : heal h ca e, e i emen
pensions, unemploymen bene i , and sala y cu s.
why no populism in po ugal? 251
he a ionale behind ou idea
This essay se s ou o answe one cen al esea ch ques ion: why has populism
been unsuccess ul in Po ugal? This is pa icula ly in iguing since populism,
le and igh , is on he ise i ually e e ywhe e. Since 2011 a s eak o elec o al
esul s has s unned he wo ld: Sy iza, Podemos, Fidesz, Law and Jus ice (PiS),
B exi , T ump. Talk o populism is all a ound us. Ye , so a Po ugal is one
o he ew Wes e n coun ies ha seem o ha e escaped his global pa e n.
Salgado (2018) a icula es some o he easons behind his excep ion, which
we p opose o u he analyse now wi h his new app oach o s udy populism
and populis discou se.
The signi icance o ou discussion is ha i combines heo e ical inno a ion
wi h a p oposal o in-dep h empi ical esea ch o accoun o he seeming
absence o populism in Po ugal. Fo his end we p opose and de elop a new
esea ch agenda o populism. In doing so, we ake as ou s a ing poin and
guiding idea he impo ance o social heo y o unde s anding cu en ideas
o populism. Mo e speci ically, he main in ellec ual aim o he pape is o shi
he e ms and ocus o schola ly and poli ical deba e o an al e na i e ision o
populism ha is able o accoun o i s ela i e lack o success in Po ugal by
pu suing i e ela ed objec i es.
Theo e ically, i (i) o e s an al e na i e o he main app oaches o populism
oday, as i ocuses nei he on con en s no on a gi en on ology pe se, bu
on he wo k o a icula ion by poli ical agen s o ce ain speci ic con en s
wi hin he on ology o esen men . Me hodologically, i (ii) s udies his wo k
o a icula ion as a ma e o pe o mance by poli ical agen s (namely, poli ical
pa ies), by (iii) e e ence o di e en opics (a eas o wel a e e enchmen ),
agains he (i ) no ma i e backg ound o sha ed poli ical alues (legal
consciousness) and emo ions ( esen men ), and ( ) in a compa a i e
pe spec i e (wi h Spain, a “posi i e” case o populism).
Fo his pu pose, we d aw upon in ellec ual sou ces om bo h social heo y
and poli ical philosophy. This is an unusual mo e since populism is seen as a
na u al emi o poli ical scien is s. Howe e , we belie e he e a e good easons
o combine poli ical heo y wi h social heo y. Fi s , as any o he poli ical
phenomenon, populism is deeply embedded in social expe ience ou side
he poli ical domain. Social heo y, unde s ood as a gene al and sys ema ic
e lec ion on mode n socie ies, is hus in an ideal posi ion o complemen
poli ical heo y in analysing issues such as how cul u al meanings a e pe o med
252 ci izenship in c isis
in poli ics and policy-making, he dynamics o leade ship and cha isma in
poli ical mo emen s, he ole o poli ical ep esen a ion in e lec ing and
cons i u ing social and poli ical clea ages, he long- e m p ocesses o s a e
o ma ion and democ a iza ion, and he ela ionship be ween s a e, media,
and socie y mo e gene ally. Second, li e a u e on populism since he 1950s
has been ma kedly in e disciplina y, bene i ing om con ibu ions p oduced
in disciplines such as philosophy o language (e. g. speech-ac heo y), as well
as om b oade in ellec ual adi ions, such as s uc u alism (e. g. semio ics)
and pos -s uc u alism (discou se heo y). As social heo y unc ions less
as a disciplina y specialism han as a pla o m o specialis s om di e en
backg ounds o hink abou ques ions o social o de and change, i is well
posi ioned o d aw upon hese a ious insigh s and complemen poli ical
heo ies on populism, mo e na owly ocused on he poli ical.
Eminen social heo is s such as Zygmun Bauman, Ul ich Beck, Richa d
Senne , and Manuel Cas ells ha e analysed he o igins and e ec s o he
unchecked ise o global co po a e and inancial capi alism in inc easing
economic and social inequali ies since he la e 1970s, he media iza ion o a
heigh ened sense o insecu i y in he ace o global isks om en i onmen al
haza ds o e o ism, he g owing dualiza ion o labou ma ke s wi h he
ensuing s a e o p eca i y ha disp opo ionally a ec s younge gene a ions
in bo h he Uni ed S a es and Eu ope, and he gen i ica ion o ci ies wi h
hei e e -g owing ga ed communi ies and inwa d-looking poli ical cul u es
a ound he wo ld. Poli ical heo is Wendy B own (2010) has been calling ou
a en ion o a “p oli e a ion o walling” a ound and wi hin Wes e n coun ies
o cope wi h hei waning so e eign y.
Al hough B own does no e e o populism di ec ly, i is impossible no
o no ice he ele ance o he diagnosis o he ecen ise o populis poli ics.
Building walls has indeed become a adema k symbol o populis discou se
in ou ime. The e is ha dly a mo e powe ul symbol han a wall o signal he
p o ec ion o “ou people” om “ he o he people”. The mo al message is clea :
he simple, ha d-wo king “people” a e o be kep sa ely apa om he “o he ”,
embodied in his case by immig an s, Muslims, and o eigne s in gene al. In
o he o ms o populism, he “o he ” is po ayed as he “co up eli e(s)” (e. g.
an i-eli ism and in some cases an i-sys em as well).
Bu is populism necessa ily associa ed wi h na ionalism, acism, sexism,
and demagogue y? Sheldon Wolin, ano he poli ical heo is , disag ees. He
inds democ acy oday o be no a cha ac e is ic o oday’s neolibe al modes
why no populism in po ugal? 253
o powe , bu , a he , an “epheme al phenomenon” enac ed by hose “who
ha e no means o ed ess o he han o isk collec i izing hei small bi s o
powe ” (Wolin 2004, 601-602). Wolin loca es democ acy’s “ ugi i e” ene gies
p ima ily in olun a y o ganiza ions, he “g ea ee schools o democ acy”
ha Tocque ille p aised o b ea hing ci ic li e in o o mally democ a ic
ins i u ions, bu also in b oade social mo emen s, such as nine een h-cen u y
Ame ican Populism (Wolin 2004, 603-604). I Wolin is igh , and we hink he
is, hen he ask o e hinking populism is no me ely an in ellec ual exe cise
– i is, i s and o emos , an e hical ask.
heo y and me hods
Populism is no o iously di icul o de ine. Few poli ical ac o s call hemsel es
“populis ”. The “canon” o populis case s udies is o med o an eclec ic
asso men o mo emen s, pa ies, and poli ical leade s, anging om he
Russian na odniches o and he Ame ican Populis s o he nine een h-cen u y
o he La in Ame ican cha isma ic populisms o Juan Pé on and Ge úlio Va gas
o he 1950s, on o he neo-populis wa e o he 1990s in Eu ope, exempli ied
by Jo g Haide ’s F eedom Pa y o Aus ia, and mo e ecen ly o he le -wing
opposi ion o he Eu opean Union’s decisions on how o ackle he Eu o C isis
(mainly Sy iza and Podemos). As a ied as hese case s udies a e, so oo a e
he app oaches ha ha e been employed o s udy hem. These app oaches
a y in se e al ega ds, such as hei deg ee o abs ac ion o gene ali y, hei
p ima y aim o unc ion, and hei p e e ed me hodology. These di e ences
can be aced back o he epis emological ounda ions o hese app oaches.
On he one hand, he e a e on ic app oaches. By his we mean app oaches
ha concei e o physical, ac ual, and ma e ial eali y as exis ing independen ly
o ou knowledge abou i . On ic app oaches comp ise empi ical-deduc i e
app oaches, which a e o ien ed owa d explaining populism h ough he
disco e y o causal ela ionships be ween s uc u al de e minan s and i s
populis consequences, and also he meneu ical app oaches, whose aim is o
p o ide a hick desc ip ion o populism h ough his o ically de ailed case
s udies. Despi e hei di e ences, bo h empi ical-deduc i e and he meneu ical
app oaches a e i s ocused on he con en s (no on he logic) o populism.
Howe e , he e is no consensus on wha hese con en s a e. Populism is a iously
de ined as a hin ideology (Cano an 2002, 2004; Mudde 2004), a s a egy o

254 ci izenship in c isis
o m o o ganiza ion (Weyland 2001, 14; Be z 2002, 198); a p ac ice o poli ical
mobiliza ion (Jansen 2011); a di ec s yle o poli ical communica ion (Jage s
and Walg a e 2007); a discou se o o m o pe suasion (Kazin 1995). Bu i
is impossible o be all o hese hings and emain some hing dis inc i e. As a
esul , on ic app oaches a e unable o accoun o he coexis ence o “populis ”
mo emen s wi h undamen ally di e en social bases, o ms o o ganiza ion,
discou ses, and ideologies.
On he o he hand, he e a e app oaches aimed no a desc ibing he
con en s ha cha ac e ize populism, bu a iden i ying he logic acco ding o
which hose con en s a e o ganized. Illus a ions include some o Cano an’s
la e wo k (1999) and E nes o Laclau’s On Populis Reason (2005). In he
case o Cano an, we can see he mo ing away om he meneu ics owa d
s uc u alism. He posi ion now is ha : “we shi ou a en ion om he
ideology and policy con en o populis mo emen s and concen a e ins ead
on s uc u al conside a ions” (Cano an 1999, 3). By his Cano an e e s o
he h ee undamen al cha ac e is ics ha all populis poli ics sha e: an i-
eli ism; a e e ence o “ he people”; and a simple and di ec s yle. Laclau,
unde he gaze o semio ics, goes e en u he and dispenses wi h con en s
al oge he . Wi h Laclau, populism ceases o be an on ic ca ego y o become
pu e logic: “I s meaning is no o be ound in any poli ical o ideological
con en en e ing in o he desc ip ion o he p ac ices o any pa icula g oup”,
Laclau obse es, “bu in a pa icula mode o a icula ion o wha e e social,
poli ical o ideological con en s” (Laclau 2005, 34). As a esul , populism
is unde s ood o be immanen in poli ics, a logic ha inhe es in social and
poli ical expe ience. Ye his is no jus any logic. Unlike classic heo ies o
poli ical ep esen a ion, Laclau a gues ha he will o he people, a he han
being cons i u ed be o e ep esen a ion, is ins ead cons i u ed h ough i
– i is, he s esses, he pa adigma ic case o poli ical ep esen a ion (Laclau
2005, 163). This means ha “ he people” becomes he logic ha s uc u es
he poli ical, i. e. ha all poli ics is populism (Laclau 2005, 47), and ha “ he
people” becomes an emp y, loa ing signi ie : when he plebs sees i sel as he
populus, he pa as he whole, i cons uc s a “people” – qui e independen ly
o any pa icula con en s. O cou se, iden i ying all poli ics wi h populis
poli ics, as Laclau sugges s, isks ende ing he concep o populism no jus
emp y, bu edundan . This is because, we belie e, his Schmi ian-G amscian
on ology o hegemony eplaces a one-sided emphasis on con en s wi h an
equally one-sided emphasis on logic. His on ology ails o ully accoun o
why no populism in po ugal? 255
he on ic, and he eby isks eplica ing in new e ms he p oblems i sough o
supe sede in he i s place.
Gi en he di icul ies aced by mainly on ic o logic-o ien ed app oaches,
se e al au ho s ha e ied o ead a middle g ound and in eg a e bo h
dimensions in hei wo k (A di i 2007). In pa icula , i has led he so-called
“new populis s udies” o shi he ocus “ om he social con en o populism
and he ends owa d which i is di ec ed o he means by which i is done”
(Jansen 2011, 82); o s udy why economic c ises need o be “pe o med” by
social agen s as o become e ec i e causes o populis poli ics (Mo i 2016);
o examine how he con en s o populism seem o be o ganized by “discu si e
ames” (Aslanidis 2015), and o analyse how populis claims-making by
Ame ican P esiden ial candida es be ween 1952 and 1996 ollows ce ain
sc ip s and in ol e speci ic he o ical opes (Bonikowski and Gid on 2016).
This chap e joins his collec i e e o by de eloping a new unde s anding o
wha populism is and how i should be s udied. Populism is he e unde s ood
as nei he a hing, no as pu ely discu si e logic. D awing upon p agma ic
sociology, democ a ic heo y, and he analysis o poli ical discou se, we a gue
ha wha makes one a populis is he p agma ic a icula ion o ce ain con en s
(ideas, hings) wi hin he logic o esen men . This means ha esen men is
he e unde s ood no as an on ic ca ego y (Shils 1956; Ba bale 1992; Mudde
2004, 547; Mülle 2016, 88) – a eeling, a ec , o emo ion – bu as he logic
acco ding o which ha pa icula sen imen is socially and poli ically
o ganized (Deme zis 2006; U e 2014; Engels 2015).
Why esen men ? Fi s , because populism is os ensibly abou he con lic
opposing he many o he ew, he ha e-no s o he ha es, he people o he
eli e, he ou -g oups o he in-g oup. I is no abou one people agains ano he
people; ins ead, i is abou one pa o he people agains ano he pa o he
same people. Second, he logic o esen men seems o be pa icula ly adequa e
o cap u e his phenomenon because ei he mobilizing eelings o igh eous
indigna ion o down igh en y, esen men supposes a ela ion o iden i ica ion
be ween he wo pa ies, which does no exis in he case o he alien O he o
he Schmi ian logic o enmi y. I his is ob iously ue in he case o indigna ion
(I ha e a mo ally inged disapp o al o he ac ha you ha e enjoyed some
undese ed good o une), i is also he case, A is o le says, in he case o en y,
which comple ely lacks he quasi-mo al dimension o indigna ion: “en y is
a ce ain dis ess caused by he ac ha some o he people like onesel seem
o ha e done well wi h espec o he a o emen ioned goods. The subjec
256 ci izenship in c isis
en ies hese o he s no because he wan s he goods in ques ion o himsel ,
bu because hey ha e hem” (A is o le 174-5, ci ed in Geuss 2016, 176).
A is o le is clea in s essing ha we en y only hose we pe cei e o be “like”
us. In o he wo ds, en y makes sense only among equal compe i o s in he
same game. One can ha e almos anyone, bu one en ies only hose who a e
su icien ly like us o be some kind o i als o compe i o s. We ha e enemies,
bu a compe i o is no pe se ou enemy (Geuss 2016, 176). This is why, o
Schmi and Laclau, he logic o populism is no enmi y, bu esen men .
P e ious s udies ha e ela ed a poli ics o esen men wi h social class and
o he di isions wi hin a coun y (C ame 2016), wi h bo h symbolic and
explici iolence (Engels 2015), and he cons uc ion o iden i y, na ionalism,
and speci ic o ms o sub-s a e na ionalism and o igh -wing populism
(Mann and Fen on 2017). Bu so a esen men has no been deemed an
inhe en cha ac e is ic o populism in i s di e en mani es a ions, as we a e
now p oposing.
Conside o ins ance he example o us P esiden Donald J. T ump’s “wall
wi h Mexico” a cen al elemen o his campaign in 2016 and an endu ing elemen
o his poli ical he o ic. T ump’s wall wi h Mexico can be designa ed as a populis
symbol as opposed o, say, a na ionalis symbol. The eason why he wall wi h
Mexico came o ep esen T ump’s populism is because i was abou jobs: he
jobs he “many” in Ame ica we e losing because o he decision by Ame ica’s
“ ew” o open ac o ies in Mexico and elsewhe e, as well as abou he jobs
Mexican emig an s we e aking away om he Ame ican “many”. Hence T ump’s
p essu e on he ceos o companies such as Fo d o b ing jobs back om Mexico.
I was no amed in na ionalis e ms, as one people agains ano he people. In
con as , he wall sepa a ing Is ael om he Wes Bank is amed in such e ms:
his wall has been he o ically jus i ied, legi imized, and cul u ally cons ued by
he Is aeli igh as a o m o p o ec ion o Jewish people om he a acks o he
Pales inian people. This shows ha compe ing agen s can cons ue he exac
same objec in mu ually con adic o y ways o di e en pu poses. Fo Obama,
ha ing he wall associa ed wi h na ionalism would ha e been poli ically oxic:
hence he Obama adminis a ion’s a emp o keep i s unding and cons uc ion
unde aken i no in sec ecy, as o a ac as li le media a en ion as possible.
T ump spec acula ly e e sed his. He picked he exac same in as uc u e and
cons uc ed i as a symbol o his poli ics. T ump’s poli ics, inso a as i uses ha
objec in o de o mobilize he esen men o one pa o he Ame ican people
agains ano he pa , cons ues i as a populis symbol.
why no populism in po ugal? 257
Ou second me hodological aim is o sugges how o s udy he ways in
which his logic has been employed by poli ical agen s, wi h a ying deg ees
o success, o pi one pa o he people agains ano he pa in he name o “ he
people” o c i icize (o legi imize), p oposing as example he poli ics o wel a e
e enchmen in Po ugal be ween 2011 and 2015. Wel a e e enchmen , which
has uelled he “dualiza ion” o Eu opean socie ies be ween labou ma ke
inside s and ou side s, is pa icula ly ele an o his pu pose. We he e o e
ques ion why i is ha wel a e e enchmen ailed o p o ide a e ile g ound
o populis poli ics in Po ugal bu no in neighbou ing Spain? We add ess
his ques ion by analysing ou cen al policies o wel a e e enchmen :
(i) heal h ca e; (ii) e i emen pensions; (iii) unemploymen bene i ; and (i )
public se an s’ sala y cu s.
Me hodologically, ou app oach adop s he ex eme case me hod o case
selec ion because o i s ex eme alue on he dependen (Y) a iable o in e es :
populism. An ex eme alue is unde s ood he e as an obse a ion ha lies a
away om he mean o a gi en dis ibu ion; ha is o say, i is unusual. Fo
case s udy analysis, i is p ecisely he a eness o he alue ha makes a case
aluable, no i s posi i e o nega i e alue (Emigh 1997; Mahoney and Goe z
2004). This does no pose p oblems o sample bias because i e e s back o a
la ge sample o cases lying in he backg ound o he analysis. The aim is o
maximize a iance on he dimension o in e es , no o minimize i . The case
o Po ugal be ween 2011 and 2015 looks unusual in ha i does no seem o
i he in e na ional pa e n o ise in populis poli ics since he 1990s, and
mo e p ominen ly in he a e ma h o he inancial c isis o 2008, when he
condi ions we e me o he eme gence o populism. Po ugal is a “nega i e
case” because i seems con a y o his gene al pa e n. Hence he esea ch
ques ion: why has populism been unsuccess ul in Po ugal?
Following wha has been said abo e, populism is he e unde s ood o e e
o he p agma ic a icula ion o he logic o esen men by poli ical and social
agen s o ma e ial/symbolic gain. By p agma ic a icula ion we e e o he
poli ical pe o ma i i y o ce ain agen s h ough, and by e e ence o, bo h
linguis ic claims and ma e ial hings. Logics o ganize con en s o di e en
so s, including a ional claims o anspa ency and in elligibili y, as well as
emo ions. We belie e his o be he case o he logic o esen men . The logic
o esen men o ganizes he speci ic se o emo ions unde he umb ella o
esen men , which includes en y and indigna ion. To claim ha one logic
pe ains exclusi ely o one pa icula phenomenon would be o engage in a
264 ci izenship in c isis
economic globaliza ion and hei ins i u ional ep esen a i es – he T oika
and he go e nmen – o cu s deemed unnecessa y and unjus , he echnical-
ju idical language and he uni e salis logic o he Cou ’s uling con ibu ed
o aming he esen men and ange el by he Po uguese a ec ed by he cu s.
I p o en, his hypo hesis would u he help accoun o absence o populism
in Po ugal.
conclusion
The ou opics b ie ly discussed abo e o e a ealis ic amewo k o assess
ou heo e ical and me hodological claims ega ding how populism should be
s udied oday. As a whole, hey o m wha one could call a p ospec i e esea ch
p og amme o populis poli ics. Ou p ima y mo i a ion in designing such a
p og amme is wo- old. Fi s , and mo e immedia ely, ou aim has been o
answe he ques ion o why populism was no success ul and did no eme ge
in Po ugal in he a e ma h o he global inancial and economic c isis o
2008-2010, compa ed o wha happened in o he coun ies also a ec ed by
he c isis. I is ou belie ha an answe o his impo an ques ion equi es
an in e p e i e me hodological app oach. As we y o show by e e ence o
ou key wel a e e enchmen issues, he easons o he ela i e absence o
populism in Po ugal ha e less o do wi h objec i e socio-economic causes
(which we e simila in Spain and in many aspec s e en wo se in Po ugal),
han wi h he pe o ma ion o hese causes, hei na u e, and consequences,
by di e en poli ical agen s. Such pe o ma ion is o some ex en a ma e o
language, i. e., he in es iga ion o how populis he o ic is used by poli ical
and social ac o s o achie e poli ical ends. Bu i is also a ma e o he poli ical
cul u e, he policies, he echnologies, and all so s o ma e ial hings o which
ha language necessa ily e e s.
Ou second aim has been o make clea e o he eade he na u e and
scope o ou claims abou he na u e and unc ioning o populism. We do no
educe populism o empi ical con en s: esen men is he e unde s ood no as
an emo ion o eeling, bu as an unde lying logic, i. e. he way in which such
sen imen s a e socially and poli ically o ganized. This signi ies ha populism
seen as esen men is no o be s udied h ough su ey i ems conno ing
speci ic emo ions such as en y, indigna ion, age, o ha ed. Ye we do no
educe i o a pu ely discu si e logic ei he . Ou p agma ic unde s anding o

why no populism in po ugal? 265
he populis logic o esen men means, o pu i in sligh ly di e en e ms,
ha i should be s udied ela ionally and as a ma e o pe o ma i i y. The
meaning o populism is he e o e no some hing ha inhe es somewhe e in
he inne mos essence o populis s’ discou ses, s yle, modes o o ganiza ion, o
ideology. Ins ead, he meaning o populism depends on he ela ions be ween
he di e en elemen s anima ed by he logic o esen men .
Explo ing u he he examples o Po ugal and Spain (a nega i e case
e sus a posi i e case expe iencing a simila c isis) adds o ou unde s anding
o populism, in his case as cons uc ion ha is sensi i e o poli ical con ex ,
poli ical cul u e, in e plays o poli ical ac o s and na a i es, and o powe
ela ions. The in e p e i e na u e o ou app oach s esses he ela ional
na u e o poli ics, wi h he po en ial o p oduce dissimila ou comes, e en in
appa en ly simila si ua ions.
T ump’s populism, and likeminded phenomena, poin o he uncons uc i e
na u e o populism. One hing is o c i icize democ acy o ailing o li e up o
i s p omises o equali y – qui e ano he is o do his by mobilizing esen men .
While he la e can unc ion as he beginning o a posi i e poli ical p ojec o
p og essi e social change, he o me can only do so wi h g ea di icul y. The
logic o esen men , we a gue, can be deeply uncons uc i e: I en y you jus
because you ha e wha I don’ . Bu he logic o esen men can also mobilize
sen imen s o igh eous indigna ion. I is he e ha populism’s e hical p omise
o which Sheldon Wolin alludes seems o eside. In e es ingly, in Po ugal,
he “ igh o indigna ion” was used as a slogan in he popula demons a ions
agains he aus e i y measu es ha we e implemen ed as a consequence o he
2011 bailou .
In ac , wi h he excep ion o he libe al an i-populis adi ion (Ho s ad e
1955), he unde s anding o populism as democ acy’s wo s enemy is ai ly
ecen . Un il as la e as he ea ly 1990s mos we e o he iew ha populism
was good o democ acy. Fo populis schola s such as Pe e Wo sley (1969),
Ma ga e Cano an (1981), and many o he s, populism’s alue esided in
i s aspi a ional quali ies. I o igina ed mobilizing poli ical p ojec s wi h he
capaci y o inco po a ing p e iously disen anchised classes in o he poli ical
communi y. This au hen ic, bo om-up popula impulse was seen as he much
needed key o eene gize democ acy: bo h old democ acies s i led by hei
eli is endencies and p agma ic o ins umen al p ac ices and less de eloped
democ acies seeking o expand he demos ha coun s and o which ins i u ions
and leade s mus be esponsi e. Sepa a ing such dispa a e e alua ions o
266 ci izenship in c isis
populism is, o cou se, he unde lying no ma i e ideal o democ acy –
libe al plu alis democ acy, in one case, pa icipa o y democ acy, in he
o he . This sugges s ye ano he di icul y in inding some hing in insic o
populism, which se s i s apa : populism ends a he o be de ined in and
by i s ela ionship o democ acy, a ela ionship which is a iously de ined as
ex insic o in insic.
acknowledgemen s
Chap e 10 “Why no populism in Po ugal?” has been w i en wi h he suppo o he esea ch
p ojec “populus: Repensando o Populismo”, p dc/soc-soc/28524/2017. Susana Salgado’s
wo k is unded by he Fundação pa a a Ciência e Tecnologia, e e ence: i /01451/2014/
cp1239/c 0004.
____________________________________
ilipe ca ei a da sil a
Ins i u o de Ciências Sociais, Uni e sidade de Lisboa
A . P o . Aníbal Be encou 9 — 1600-036 Lisboa, Po ugal
[email p o ec ed]
o cid.o g/0000-0003-2459-0802
____________________________________
susana salgado
Ins i u o de Ciências Sociais, Uni e sidade de Lisboa
[email p o ec ed]
o cid.o g/0000-0002-7967-3763
____________________________________
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ci e his chap e as:
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Challenges. Vol. ii. Ci izenship in C isis, eds. M. C. Lobo, F. C. da Sil a and J. P. Zúque e. Lisbon: Imp ensa
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h ps://doi.o g/10.31447/ics9789726715047.10