In fact, historically, it was the interaction of religion and democratic populism that generated some of the most vital moments of democratic change in the modern era. As did the populist movement in the US of the 1870-90s, which laid the foundation for the reforms of the progressive era. An important element of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, the United Democratic Front, also combined religious and democratic populism. Rather than identifying the people of God with the nation, these kinds of “prophetic populism” identify the people with the oppressed from any nation. Instead, the marriage of popular piety and democratic populism can defend plurality, and help end the concentration of power in the hands of the plutocratic, technocratic, or bureaucratic few.

Source: The Guardian November 24, 2018 11:02 UTC