The Emotional Life of Populism

Throughout the world, democracy is under assault by various populist movements and ideologies. And throughout the world, the same enigma: why is it that political figures or governments, who have no qualms about aggravating social inequalities, enjoy the support of those whom their ideas and policies affect and hurt the most?

To make sense of this enigma, the sociologist Eva Illouz argues that we must understand the crucial role that emotions play in our political life. Only emotions have the power to deny factual evidence and obscure one’s self-interest. Taking the case of Israel as her prime example, she shows that the authoritarianism and conservative nationalism that form the core of populist politics rest on four key emotions: authoritarianism is legitimated through fear, and conservative nationalism rests on disgust, resentment and a carefully cultivated love for one’s country. It is the combination of these four emotions and their relentless presence in the political arena that nourishes and underpins the rise and persistence of populism both in Israel and in many other countries around the world.

This highly original perspective on the rise of populism will be of interest to anyone who wishes to understand the key political developments of our time.

»As the brilliant Franco-Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz underscores in her recent book, The Emotional Life of Populism, Netanyahu became Israel’s longest-serving prime minister through his mastery of the politics of fear.« Robert Zaretsky, Jewish Forward

»A great theorist of the emotional life of capitalism, Eva Illouz develops here one of the most original and succinct accounts of far-right populism as a politics of feeling. Her brilliant analysis of its core emotions, fear, disgust, resentment and love, revitalizes scholarship on the political sociology of authoritarianism, while also offering a robust critique of Israel’s lethal politics and a new, much-needed vision of democratic emotionality. A must-read!« Lilie Chouliaraki, London School of Economics

»Combining penetrating social-scientific analysis with revealing interviews, Illouz offers original insights into Israel’s longstanding and intensifying embrace of populism. Pithy, smart, and timely, this book should be read by anyone interested in contemporary Israeli politics and society.« Derek Penslar, author of Zionism: An Emotional State

»[A] sobering account … suggests that hope, in principle, can strengthen the bonds of fraternity not just among the nation’s own members but with other countries as well, opening the way to dialogue, tolerance, and justice.« Robert Zaretsky, The Atlantic

»Reading this books is strongly recommended to not only those who want to understand Israel better, but also to all those who want to understand the right-wing populism that is gaining more and more strength in Europe in greater detail.« Jens-Christian Rabe, Süddeutsche Zeitung

»Illouz analyses four emotions that Netanyahu uses to maintain his rule ... How can a combination of negative emotions produce an uplifting emotion like national pride or even love? The process needs explanation, and convincingly Illouz makes visible Netanyahu’s populist schemes behind this transformation.« Jakob Hessing, Der Tagesspiegel