The 1996 Election and Populism: Some Readings

Abstract

How can we understand the 1996 American election? Is it the spectacle described in the media: a horse race between preening candidates, a circus which turns politics into theater? Or are there actually important issues behind the personality contests? Several recent books by political scientists and historians help us to put the forthcoming American election in perspective. I discuss in this article first two books that take a global overview, then a number of others specifically on the American scene, and analyze the readings they afford, especially on populism.