populism as a positive term and a critique of critics Since I wrote last fall several notable developments in the scholarship and discussion of populism have occurred The South African intellectual and scholar Xolela Mangcu has entered the global discussion building on a highly visible lecture he gave in Cape Town for the Wolpe Trust last June 18 Jacob Zuma on the Politics of Grievance In this lecture Mangcu takes issue with what he sees as the discussions of populism that caricature its meanings and history as simply a rhetorical stance or politics of popular grievance against elites He developed this argument in his weekly column in Business Day December 7 2007 drawing on Gianna Pomata s scholarship on the history of populism in Europe and her treatment of populist critics as part of an intellectual tradition of Enlightenment rationalism and growing separation of of popular and elite intellectual cultures He also makes a number of parallels with South African journalists and scholars whom he believes treat populism in very superficial ways Mangcu also develops these arguments in his forthcoming book To the Brink Universityof Kwa Xulu Natal 2008 sure to create a major discussion in African academic and intellectual circles since he is widely described as the main intellectual heir to Steve Biko the founder of the Black Consciousness Movement FOr an excerpt of his forthcoming book see As far as Mike Huckabee s populism is concerned the piece by David Kirkpatrick in the New York Times January 13 2008 Young Evangelicals Embrace Huckabee has a detailed discussion of why many Catholics and evangelicals see him as populist The article among many in the American election season is shows the strikingly difference valence of populism in the US and Europe In the US the term on balance clearly has positive associations otherwise major candidates like Edwards and Huckabee would not use it in self description This is a product most likely of the much greater public awareness of the history of democratic movements like the 19th century farmers cooperatives New Deal reform and the black freedom strucggle as broadly populist Boyte 13 January