This handbook brings national and thematic case studies together to examine a variety of populist politics from local and comparative perspectives in the Asia Pacific. The chapters consider key and cross cutting themes such as populism and nationalism, religion, ethnicity and gender, as well as authoritarianism. They show how populist politics alters the way governments mediate state-society relations.

The essays in this volume consider:

diverse approaches in populist politics, for example, post-colonial, strategic vs ideational, growth and redistribution, leadership styles, and in what ways they are similar to, or different from, populist discourses in Europe and the United States

under what social, political, economic and structural conditions populist politics has emerged in the Asia-Pacific region

national case studies drawn from South, East and Southeast Asia as well as the Pacific analyzing themes such as media, religion, gender, medical populism, corruption and cronyism, and inclusive vs exclusive forms of populist politics

modes and techniques of social and political mobilization that populist politicians employ to influence people and their impact on the way democracy is conceived and practiced in the Asia Pacific

As a systematic account of populist ideologies, strategies, leaders and trends in the Asia Pacific, this handbook is essential reading for scholars of area studies, especially in the Asia Pacific, politics and international relations, and political and social theory.

This chapter introduces the volume. First, we critically evaluate the current state of populism studies in the Asia Pacific and provide a rationale for and account of the handbook and its aims. Second, we provide an overview of academic debates on populism and identify the key questions that emerge from those debates. Finally, drawing on the thematic chapters and country case studies, we point to several issues that need to be taken into account to better understand cycles of populist politics in the Asia Pacific.