This book provides the first systematic and comparative analysis of the intersections of populism and science in Europe, from the perspective of political sociology.

Populism is the object of rich scholarly debate over its definition and the best way to approach its study. But until now, little attention has been paid to the relationships between populism and science. Recently, the Covid-19 crisis has exposed the contradictions in this relationship, and this book combines an analysis of the theoretical aspects of the relationship between populism and science with rigorous empirical research.

The theoretical perspectives show populism as a thin-ideology, as discourse and performance, and as a political logic, consider both right-wing and left-wing populism, and focus on leaders as well as citizens. The book also offers an overview of controversies within different fields of ‘science’, including case studies on food science, climate change, vaccination, gender theory, COVID-19, and environmental issues.

The book will be of interest to scholars and students of a number of social science disciplines, including political sociology, political science and political psychology.