Populism in the Americas (HISTORY 276, ILAC 276, POLISCI 246H)

4–5 credits · Graduate

The course addresses a major topic in today's world: populism. The visibility it has acquired grants an inquiry into its nature, and its history. We will tackle the key problem of the definition of populism and will focus on its historical and political character. We will discuss the defining features and conditions for the emergence of historical cases of populism through a cross-disciplinary perspective. On the base of this discussion, the course address historically relevant cases of populism in the Americas, combining case analysis with comparative analysis, inclusive of current examples. This will allow for a deeper understanding of the diversity, complexity, and components of an often-misunderstood phenomenon and often misused concept.