Populism: Rabble-Rousing or Faith in the People? A Lecture by Yousef Abazari

Yousef Abazari | Populism: Rabble-Rousing or Faith in the People? | 26 December 2006 | University of Tehran

One of the academic and scientific characteristics of populism is that, according to it, the people are sacred. The populist movements of Russia considered the people sacred and the Tsarist state despotic and bloodthirsty. Later, populism was further fleshed out in the works of figures such as Gustave Le Bon, Erich Fromm, and Gasset. In the formation of Reza Shah's nation-state, too, "the people" became something sacred so that the Pahlavi monarchy could gain legitimacy for protecting the people's interests. Then the Tudeh Party sanctified the people to such an extent that everyone had to be in awe of this concept of the masses. Al-e Ahmad strongly reinforced this narrative by lambasting intellectuals. This current continues to this day, so much so that even our students imagine that the "state" is an enemy that must be fought for the sake of the people. Whereas the intellectuals of the Constitutional era set about criticizing the people and did not consider the people sacred.

Audio of the lecture Populism: Rabble-Rousing or Faith in the People