Righteous Demagogues

Populist Politics in South Asia and Beyond

Adnan Naseemullah author Pradeep Chhibber author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:17th Jun '24

£64.00

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Righteous Demagogues cover

Righteous Demagogues explores the causes, dynamics, and consequences of populist politics in South Asia and beyond. It argues that populist mobilizations are rooted in crises of representation, and populism is a symptom not an underlying cause of democratic malaise. Populist leaders, in framing their appeals, evoke the moral contract--that states are obligated to redress certain types of inequality--and promise its restoration, in ways that resonate with voters across lines of partisanship and social divisions, leading party system change. Depending on how broadly populist appeals resonate, different types of populism emerge, with consequences ranging from the rejection of populists to varying forms of democratic backsliding. The book examines the dynamics of populist politics primarily through four cases in South Asia. In the late 1960s, Indira Gandhi in India and Zulfiqar Bhutto in Pakistan effected reordering populist mobilizations on the left, against the de facto oligarchic regimes of the Congress party and the Ayub Khan government, mobilizing workers, peasants, and the nascent middle classes against widespread exclusion and inequity. In the mid-2010s, Narendra Modi and Imran Khan effected additive populist mobilizations of the right, mobilizing diverse middle classes across India and Pakistan respectively against perceived corruption and inequity. The book applies the framework and typology to explain the causes, dynamics, and consequences of populism in Latin America, Europe and the United States.

This book is a valuable contribution, providing an analytically important account of the varieties of populism. In doing so, it casts new light on how democracies actually function, and the ways in which populism might deepen or hinder democracy. * Pratap Mehta, Princeton University *
In this analytically sophisticated study of populism in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, Naseemullah and Chhibber bring clarity to the concept by stretching the temporal framework to include left-leaning populisms of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The book makes meaningful comparisons with other countries, including the United States. * Ayesha Jalal, Tufts University *
This book focuses on the causes of populism, including the rise of inequalities and the sentiments of the unrepresented. It is an important book which situates South Asia in a comparative perspective - an effort rarely done, and this one is fully successful. * Christophe Jaffrelot, Sciences Po *
This is an outstanding book. It traces the roots of contemporary populism to the crisis of representation that originates in politically generated inequalities. A persuasive and original argument, the book is a deft and much needed comparison of India and Pakistan and offers broader insights into the global phenomena of populism. The book is a must read. * Atul Kohli, Princeton University *

ISBN: 9780197756928

Dimensions: 156mm x 235mm x 20mm

Weight: 540g

288 pages