New York Times Bestseller ‘What Is Populism?’ Translated by Hovhannes Nikoghosyan

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YEREVAN, Armenia – The American University of Armenia (AUA) is proud to share that Dr. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan, adjunct lecturer at the Political Science and International Affairs (PSIA) program, translated the New York Times bestselling book What Is Populism? Authored by Dr. Jan-Werner Müller, professor of Politics at Princeton University, the book is a historically grounded research that illustrates the political developments in Europe, the U.S., and Latin America in the previous century.

“I treated this book project as a public service, as it aims at introducing the Armenian reader to an elaborate analysis of the socio-political issues that have emerged in a number of nations, whether developed or developing, after populist leaders sought electoral victory or came to power otherwise. In my view, reflecting on the realities in Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, the United States, the UK, Russia, Venezuela and other countries will potentially enrich the public discourse in Armenia focusing on our own issues and allowing us, as a society, to avoid the same or similar ‘mistakes’ of falling into populism, if I can put it that way,” explains Dr. Nikoghosyan.

The Armenian translation is released by Newmag publishing house and features an introduction by Dr. Ruben Shugaryan, visiting professor at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, former deputy foreign minister of Armenia, and former ambassador to the U.S. and Italy. As the author makes contextual references to historical and political figures and events that need further explanation, the translation includes political terms, idioms and ideas that are annotated by journalist David Sargsyan. However, according to the editor of the Armenian translation, Gnel Nalbandyan, the structure of the text facilitates easier comprehension, memorization and reproduction of the content for readers. 

“The vast body of footnotes will make the book easily digestible to even non-policy geeks. This is probably an important service academia must render to our society outside of the classroom and aside from writing articles and chapters in peer-reviewed journals,” comments Dr. Nikoghosyan.

The Political Science and International Affairs (PSIA) program of the American University of Armenia (AUA) equips students with advanced analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and communication skills through the study of political science and international affairs, emphasizing local and global perspectives and practical applications of theory. The program provides world-class teaching and research, producing graduates who can best contribute to the development of the nation.