Populism has been one of the most debated topics in contemporary political science, drawing waves of scholarly attention after major global events. In particular, the dual shocks of Brexit and Donald Trump’s election in 2016 cemented populism as a central topic of political analysis—often leading to its use as a buzzword rather than a useful tool for understanding the world we live in. The explosion of academic research, resulting in numerous books, journal articles, and dedicated scholarly journals, hasn’t always seemed necessary, to say the least. This raises the question: do we need yet another handbook on populism?

The recent publication of the Research Handbook on Populism, edited by Yannis Stavrakakis and Giorgos Katsambekis, demonstrates that the academic field continues to evolve. This handbook seeks to provide a comprehensive and theoretically nuanced examination of populism, incorporating various perspectives and disciplinary approaches. It covers the four dominant frameworks in populism studies—the ideational, discourse-theoretical, strategic, and socio-cultural approaches—while also integrating historical analyses and contributions from diverse academic fields such as political economy, international relations, and psychoanalysis.

This article, written by Antonis Galanopoulos, explores the significance of this new handbook within the broader landscape of populism studies, assessing the unique contributions of the handbook, its methodological pluralism, and its efforts to address gaps in existing literature. Furthermore, it critically examines its strengths and potential limitations, considering how it shapes future research directions in the study of populism.

And to fill the gap identified by Antonis, namely the lack of a guide on how to navigate the chaos created by the recent populism boom and consequent hype, well…there are always The Populism Interviews for that 😉

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