In response to denunciations of populism as undemocratic and anti-intellectual, Intellectual Populism argues that populism has contributed to a distinct and democratic intellectual tradition in which ordinary people assume leading roles in the pursuit of knowledge.

Focusing on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, this book uses case studies of certain intellectual figures to trace the key rhetorical appeals that proved capable of resisting the status quo and building alternative communities of inquiry.

Through these case studies, Intellectual Populism demonstrates how orators and advocates can channel the frustrations and energies of the American people toward productive, democratic, intellectual ends.

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Buy at Parnassus Books (great local bookstore in Nashville).

Use this discount code to buy the book at Michigan State University Press. 

Contact me: paul.stob@vanderbilt.edu

I am an Associate Professor and Chair of Communication Studies at Vanderbilt University. My research explores rhetoric and intellectual culture in American history, particularly in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

In Spring 2020 I published a book titled Intellectual Populism: Democracy, Inquiry, and the People (Michigan State University Press). Here’s a form you can use to save money on buying the book.

Before that book I wrote a book about William James, the great American philosopher and a brilliant communicator. Titled William James and the Art of Popular Statement, the book explores James’s career as a lecturer and public speaker.