{ "name": "NHIOP Bookmark Series: \"Mending the Nation\" Reclaiming 'We the People' in a Populist Age\"", "description": "Michael J. Illuzzi, Ph.D. joins the Institute to discuss his recent book \n\/Mending the Nation: Reclaiming \u201cWe the People\u201d in a Populist Age\/. He \nargues the path out of today\u2019s intense political, religious, and racial \npolarization lies not in rejecting populism, but in redefining it. Illuzzi \ncontends that while divisive populist rhetoric has driven our current \nclimate, an alternative, unifying form of populism\u2014rooted in shared values \nand collective purpose\u2014can help bridge divides. These \u201cmending \nstories,\u201d as he calls them, seek to restore the inclusive promise of \u201cWe \nthe People\u201d by offering narratives that bring Americans together across \ndifferences.\n\nMending the Nation uses lessons from the past, highlighting historical and \ncontemporary figures who used moral leadership, activism, and organizing to \nheal political wounds and chart a way forward \u2014from Abraham Lincoln and \nSamuel Jones to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the \nRainbow Coalition, Black Lives Matter, and today\u2019s Poor People\u2019s \nCampaign.\n\nAt a time of eroding trust in institutions and the rise of leaders who \nmobilize anger through stories of enemies and grievance, Illuzzi asks whether \nthese mending narratives\u2014refusing both superiority and dehumanization\u2014can \nprovide a compelling alternative capable of reshaping America\u2019s political \nfuture.\n\n\/Mending the Nation\/ may be purchased in advance through online booksellers.\n\n*Location: New Hampshire Institute of Politics Auditorium*\n\u00a0\u00a0\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nMichael Illuzzi is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Providence \nCollege, whose work in political theory and American politics focuses on \nracial, gender, and class inequalities and U.S. political movements that have \nfought against overlapping injustices. His teaching and research interests \nalso include critical community engagement, populism, peoplehood, and \ncritical storytelling\u2019s potential to challenge dominant narratives.\n\n\/Free and open to the public. No advance registration required.\/\n\n", "startDate": "2026-02-26", "startTime": "16:00", "endDate": "2026-02-26", "endTime": "17:30", "label": "Add to Calendar", "options": [ "Apple", "Google", "iCal", "Microsoft365", "MicrosoftTeams", "Outlook.com", "Yahoo" ], "timeZone": "America\/New_York", "trigger": "click", "listStyle": "modal", "iCalFileName": "anselm-event-27306", "location": "New Hampshire Institute of Politics" }