How should broadly liberal democratic societies stop illiberal and antidemocratic views from gaining influence while honouring liberal democratic values? This question has become particularly pressing after the recent successes of right-wing populist leaders and parties across Europe, in the US, and beyond. This book develops a normative account of liberal democratic self-defence that denounces the failures of real-world societies without excusing those supporting illiberal and antidemocratic political actors. This account is innovative in focusing not only on the role of the state but also on the duties of nonstate actors including citizens, partisans, and municipalities. Consequently, it also addresses cases where the central government has at least been partly captured by illiberal and antidemocratic agents. Gabriele Badano and Alasia Nuti's approach builds on John Rawls's treatment of political liberalism and his awareness of the need to 'contain' unreasonable views, that is, views denying that society should treat every person as free and equal through a mutually acceptable system of social cooperation where pluralism is to be expected. The authors offer original solutions to vexed problems within political liberalism by putting forward a new account of the relation between ideal and non-ideal theory, explaining why it is justifiable to exclude unreasonable persons from the constituency of public reason, and showing that the strictures of public reason do not apply to those suffering from severe injustice. In doing so, the book further politicizes political liberalism and turns it into a framework that can insightfully respond to the challenges of real politics. "Liberal democracies are under pressure worldwide and the traditional paradigm of militant democracy seems hopeless. Indeed, authoritarian populists have replaced the totalitarian challengers of the 20th century, which makes repressive mechanisms such as party bans implausible. And yet, alternative approaches to defend liberal and democratic values have not been forthcoming. Badano and Nuti's innovative turn to strategies of "soft containment", such as empowering citizens, parties and municipalities to defend democratic standards and practices, is a path-breaking welcome departure, which will have a major influence on current debates on democratic regression." -Peter Niesen, University of Hamburg "A common criticism of much contemporary work in political liberalism is that it is too detached from pressing real world issues. That charge cannot be leveled against this book. It addresses a great threat confronting liberal democratic societies across the world: the rise of right-wing, illiberal, populist political movements. It shows the - perhaps surprising - usefulness of Rawlsian political liberalism in analysing this threat and proposing strategies for addressing it. In addition to its practical importance, it also is philosophically fruitful, enriching the theory of political liberalism in important ways. It is a vital contribution to the literature on political liberalism." -Blain Neufeld, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee "In Politicizing Political Liberalism , Badano and Nuti reformulate basic concepts of John Rawls's liberalism to address one of the great political challenges of our time: the electoral success of populist and authoritarian parties and candidates in liberal democracies around the world. In a morally serious book that is deeply informed by the literature, Badano and Nuti argue that ordinary citizens and partisans committed to democracy are duty-bound to engage the unreasonable and transform their society's public argument. Those who share Badano and Nuti's sympathy for political liberalism will be impressed by their ability to bring Rawls's theory to bear on contemporary politics. All who share their concern for the fate of liberal democracy will be both inspired and unsettled by what they think we are obligated to do to preserve it." --Paul Weithman, University of Notre Dame "In any case, this is an important and original book that not only develops a novel position in longstanding debates about the purposes of political liberalism but also demonstrates how political liberals can make progress on pressing real-world issues." -- Andrew Shorten, LSE Review of Books " Politicizing Political Liberalism is both theoretically penetrating and innovative. It is an extremely inspiring statement to the continuing relevance of the Rawlsian framework for thinking about liberal democracy." -- Ludvig Beckman, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice "At a time when liberalism struggles to formulate effective responses to populist movements, PPL represents a critical theoretical intervention. This work firmly positions Badano and Nuti among the most important liberal theorists addressing populism." -- Kevin Vallier, The Review of Politics Gabriele Badano, Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Y