Debates and Receptions of the Laclausian Perspective of populism. People and Institutions in Latin American Populist Discourses

Abstract

The notion of populism appears frequently in political analysis and academic researches about Latin-American context since the 1950s. It took part in multiple debates and received different significations and valorizations. The aim of this article is to explore into the concept of populism inside the Ernesto Laclau’s hegemony theory, especially considering its links with institutionalism. Also, we expose some receptions of this perspective, taking into account the different approaches about the relations between populism and institutions. Through the text we argue that populism has to do with the creation of “the people” but, at the same time, it involves the definition of a new institutional order.