Overview

This book analyses the practice and the theorisation of populism by radical left parties based on a comparative analysis between two cases: Podemos (We Can) in Spain, and La France insoumise (Unbowed France, LFI) in France. This comparative analysis, first of its kind, aims to transform our understanding of left-wing populism at a time when parties of the populist left have succeeded in, or are on the verge of, taking power. The project is timely as, in Europe, the rise and electoral breakthroughs of the radical left in the years 2010–2020 have been based on populist elements – that is, on a rhetoric (1) opposing the people to the elite and (2) demanding a ‘radicalisation’ of democracy through the concept of popular sovereignty. For each party, the book focuses on the perspective of both political elites (i.e. leaders) and activists examining their motivations and their attitudes towards the ‘populist’ label. This book will be of interest to researchers of populism, the radical left, and political parties.

Full Product Details

Author:   Laura Chazel
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.520kg
ISBN:  

9781003863786

ISBN 10:   1003863787
Pages:   188
Publication Date:   02 February 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Part 1 1. Epistemological disagreements and political interests behind the definition of the concept of populism in social sciences 2. Decline and transformation of the radical left in Spain and in France: understanding the emergence and evolution of a left-wing populist offer 3. ‘Now the people’: origins and evolutions of a left-wing populist offer in Spain and in France 4. Strategic and theoretical uses of the populist theory by Podemos and La France insoumise Part 2 5. Mobilising a populist discourse: building the people against the elite and in relation to democracy, the homeland and the crisis 6. Divisions, factionalisation, split: the internal debates around populism Part 3 7. Activists’ reception and mobilisation of the populist discourse 8. Activists’ reception and mobilisation of the populist theory 9. Activists’ reception and mobilisation of the populist theory Conclusion Appendix 1

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Author Information

Laura Chazel is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Sciences Po Grenoble, Pacte (Grenoble), and earlier was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the École des Hautes Études Hispaniques et Ibériques (EHEHI), Casa de Velázquez (Madrid), during the 2023–2024 academic year.

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