Latin American inclusive and European exclusionary populism: colonialism as an explanation

The article addresses the fact that Latin-American populism is mostly inclusive and European populism mostly exclusionary, and argues that colonialism is an important key to understanding the development of either form of populism. Following a characterization of populism and of the links between colonialism and the conceptualization of the people, the article analyses Peronism and Le Pen’s Front National as case studies to support its claim. Among the most representative—and most studied—examples of the Latin-American populism, Peronism has remained a significant force for almost 70 years. Le Pen’s movement is one of the first and most important European radical right populist movements. Finally, the article shows how those important cases are part of a much broader picture, in which the role within the colonial relationship shapes the development of either exclusionary or inclusive populism.