Right-wing and left-wing populists around the world are united by the same narrative: the state is in the hands of a globalist-thinking, mostly urban elite, which has long since lost contact with the "normal" citizens and can no longer understand the everyday concerns of the "people". The populists not belonging to this elite would therefore be the only ones to understand, openly articulate and take seriously the fears of the citizens. The writer Jonas Lüscher and the philosopher Michael Zichy have put together a diverse group to identify the similarities, but also the differences between the manifestations of populism under different social, economic and religious conditions. This book originates from conversations between Budapest, Cairo, Brasilia, Nairobi, Moscow, Salzburg and Zurich.

With contributions by Jonas Lüscher, Michael Zichy, Maria Stepanova, Youssef Rakkha, Yvonne Owuor, Carol Pires, Naren Bedide and Ágnes Heller.