Ethnography

The concept of populism has become increasingly prevalent in the public debate, yet its treatment frequently suffers from three key limitations. First, it is overextended, in that it is applied to a very large variety of phenomena. Second, it is prejudiced, as it assumes that some constituencies are better able than others to identify their long-term interests. Third, it is sceptical of democracy, because it presents popular policies as intrinsically suspicious when compared to technocratic ideas of the common good. This chapter argues that ethnography is uniquely well suited to address these issues, due to its focus on the localized practices and meanings emerging from the intersection between everyday life and political participation. Combining a review of case studies with a discussion of the principles of participant observation, I highlight different ways in which this methodology can improve our understanding of populism.