Populismul anti-intelectual în România după 1990
Anti-intellectual Populism in Romania after 1990

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes populism in post-communist Romania as a political,discursive, and social phenomenon, with particular emphasis on its anti-intellectual form. The introductory section clarifies the historical origins of the concept, from the People’s Party in the United States and Russian Narodnikism to modern European and Latin American forms of populism. Populism is defined not through a single meaning, but as an ideology, political mentality, discourse, rhetoric, electoral strategy, and socio-political movement. The common element of these forms is the moralizing opposition between the “authentic people” and political, economic,cultural, or supranational elites. The rise of populism is linked to crises of representation, institutional distrust, the oligarchization of political parties, the growing distance between elites and citizens, as well as to inequality and poverty.The sociological data discussed in the article indicate a climate favorable to the manifestation of populism in Romania: high levels of distrust in representative institutions, a strong demand for political change, and a preference for order and authority. Anti-intellectual populism is presented as a radicalization of the opposition between the “people” and knowledge elites, including intellectuals, professors,researchers, experts, journalists, and technocrats. The article concludes that democracy requires both popular participation and civic control, as well as expertise, critical reason, and public accountability. Preventing and combating populism, including its anti-intellectual dimension, requires the restoration of trust among citizens, institutions, and elites through democratic education, scientific literacy, and responsible public communication.

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