Abstract

The conjecture on the insurgence and resilience of various kinds of populist movements within contemporary democracies is of a philosophical nature, based on the idea that forms of populism fundamentally arise with the revocation of trust in the political élite and with the construction of an «us» on the part of charismatic leaders opposed to those who hold political authority. The conjecture avails itself of a theory of democracy in which the notions of democratic freedom and social public space play crucial roles. Preserving their distinction with respect to the political élite, populist movements can take on resilience with respect to the often poor outcomes of their politics. Thus they are exemplary of a crisis within democracy rather than a crisis of democracy.