El Populismo como política religiosa y como religión política

The article explores populism as a holistic nostalgia, defining it as a political imaginary that idealizes a past of purity and harmony of the people, corrupted by elites and restored by redemptive leaders. Populism is analyzed as a mentality that sacralizes politics, transforming it into a secular religion, where the one people seek regeneration through revolutions or reforms. The article contrasts the populist people (organic, homogeneous) with the constitutional people (plural, secular), highlighting the tension between holistic and pluralistic visions. Populism feeds apocalyptic narratives, polarizes societies and uses issues such as migration and ecology to mobilize collective passions. In this sense, although secular democracy has mitigated part of the populist impulse, secularization is not linear, and populism resurfaces in contexts of crisis, rekindling conflicts between sacred identity and profane pluralism. Populism's resistance is attributed to its ability to offer meaning and belonging in a world perceived as fragmented.