Populism between Argentina and Europe. About the Transnationalization of a Concept

Abstract

This article analyses the use of the theory of populism by the Argentine philosopher Ernesto Laclau in the current European debate about this topic. It starts by showing the origins of Laclau’s theory which can be found in the interpretations of Argentine politics, modernization and integration of society and the birth of the so-called national-popular movements. Afterwards some key features of the European discussion about populism are presented in order to show why this theory receives so much attention nowadays, in contrast to other works about the same topic. In this way, we treat the circulation and transnationalization of ideas between Latin America and Europe from a perspective positioned in concrete social affinities and trajectories.