Neoliberalism Populism and the Crisis of Democracy through a Pragmatist and Critical Theory Approach

The rise of populism in Europe and North America over the past decade reflects a profound crisis in the foundations of modern liberal democracy. This article argues that contemporary populism must be understood as a reaction to the political, economic, and moral breakdowns caused by neoliberalism, a system that has commodified social life, eroded public institutions, and depleted citizens’ democratic imagination. Drawing on two major philosophical traditions of the 20th century, Pragmatism (John Dewey, Richard Rorty) and Critical Theory (Jürgen Habermas, Nancy Fraser, Axel Honneth), the article proposes a combined approach that is both critical and reconstructive. At the critical level, Critical Theory helps reveal how the systemic logic of neoliberalism has fragmented the “lifeworld” and replaced communicative rationality with instrumental rationality. At the reconstructive level, Pragmatism suggests possibilities for restoring civic trust and democratic community through education, dialogue, and collective action. From this, the article contends that the combination of a critical spirit and a pragmatic spirit can provide a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding and responding to the democratic crisis in the post-neoliberal era.