The aim of the article is to reflect on the phenomenon of populist resentment towards elites in contemporary liberal democracies. This form of resentment is claimed to lower the quality of democracy, both in regard to its procedures and social bonds, thus deepening the crisis of the system. One of the paper’s aims is to explore this phenomenon as a structure composed of negative social emotions. This part of the analysis is conceptual and theoretical in character. The article then considers the dynamics and mechanisms of the resentment against elites. In this part of the text, the phenomenon is viewed through the lens of the social and cultural context in which it is rooted, as well as from the perspective of individual experiences. Because instances of social resentment manifest themselves mainly in words, this is illustrated using examples from the public debate in Poland regarding elites. The paper concludes with two hypotheses formulated with respect to the multilevel and multidimensional character of this form of resentment.
