(Neo)fascism, (pos)fascism or (neo)populism? A possible bibliographic balance of a heated classificatory dispute

Abstract

The article debates contemporary classificatory disputes around figures such as Trump, Bolsonaro, Le Pen and others. Without intending to exhaust this discussion that is too broad, a possible bibliographic review is carried out here, presenting and interrelating some interpretations. It starts by introducing, in a very synthetic way and from the “Dictionary of political concepts”, part of the bibliography that defines fascism and populism and thinks about their relations. Once this basic understanding is guaranteed,is carried out a brief periodization of the extreme right in the post-war period, presenting its typology’s and the actuality of the concept of fascism.Then, some interpretations are presented that mobilize one or the other of these concepts to define leaders and contemporary parties as (neo) fascists, post-fascists or (neo) populists. It notes that there is no literature consensus neither regarding the use of the concepts for the classic cases neither for the current ones.