At a time when political parties and movements in Europe and around the world have increasingly been branded populist, the definition and understanding of Populism as a political phenomenon is dynamically back on the political science agenda. 

The Populismus research project, headed by Yannis Stavrakakis, Professor at the School of Political Sciences at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, reassesses the category of 'populism' and focuses on theoretical approaches which reorient the empirical analysis of populist ideologies in the 21st century.

To mark the conclusion of the project and the official launching of a Populismus Observatory, a major three-day international conference on ‘Populism and Democracy’ is taking place in Thessaloniki (June 26-28). LSE Professor Emeritus Nicos Mouzelis, who has extensively published on populist politics, will deliver the keynote speech.

See also: Background paper, Programme & Web-streaming