The world is in the grip of profound political and social change. Leaders are rising to power who promise to respond to the voice of the people—people who are aggrieved and resentful, feeling the sting of inequality and the uncertainty of a new economic order. Perils of Populism makes sense of why we are in this moment, what it feels like, where it might lead, what we can learn from the past. It goes beyond the headlines.

This edition features winners of the Griffith Review Queensland Writers Fellowships, and will explore the causes and nuances of populism—building a conscience, confronting sexual abuse, addressing climate change deniers, navigating an obstructive bureaucracy, coming face to face with religious cults and discovering the enduring kindness of strangers.