Introduction [to: Multiple populisms. Italy as democracy’s mirror]

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyzes the different notions of the people that are at the heart of populist discourse, using a genealogical approach. It provides the discussion of populism within core debates of democratic theory and comparative politics, in particular that of the ‘quality of democracy’. The book discusses the significance of anti-partyism in Italy’s ‘particracy’ or republic of the parties; a phenomenon present in Italian politics even before the affirmation of representative, parliamentary democracy. It argues that anti-partyism is a seminal component of the populist critique of the political establishment. The book focuses on Urbinati’s account of the role of anti-partyism in Italian democracy. It deals with the impact of populism on the wider spheres of society, including public opinion and the media, the cultural sphere and intellectual activity and issues of justice and crime.