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Illiberal Europe?
On the new populism
Editorial Parliament or the soapbox? Populist politics are enjoying renewed success in Europe, above all in the former socialist countries. A new Eurozine focal point investigates the rise of "democratic illiberalism". [ more ]
The new populism
The populist moment
the new populism Unlike the extremist parties of the 1930s, the new populist movements do not aim to abolish democracy: quite the opposite, writes Ivan Krastev. What we are witnessing is a conflict between elites suspicious of democracy and increasingly illiberal publics. [ more ]
Counter-revolution against a counter-revolution
Eastern Europe today
the new populism Populist movements in eastern central Europe cater to the middle class fear of becoming déclassé as a result of the neoliberal destruction of the welfare state, writes G.M. Tamás. [German version added] [ more ]
Eight remarks on populism
defining populism A fissure has opened up between citizens and power, information gaps that invite conspiracy theories and patent recipes. The parliamentary process is empirically the best antidote to populism; its gradual erosion presents one of the greatest challenges to contemporary liberal politics. [ more ]
Populism in Eastern Central Europe
populism and europe Directly after the fall of communism, hopes burgeoned for democracy in the "new" Eastern Central Europe. What does the current climate of populism mean for these hopes and how does it affect these countries' relations with the EU? [Bulgarian version added] [ more ]
Poland: Populists on a mission
Right turn
Polish politics at the beginning of the twenty-first century
Poland Alternatives to the anti-communism and national conservatism of Poland's two main rightwing parties are barely offered by a Centre-Left tarnished by corruption scandals. With new elections set for 21 October, it seems unlikely that Poland will alter its course rightwards. [Bulgarian version added] [ more ]
Reason's cunning
Poland, populism, and involuntary modernization
Poland Populism in Poland has the same paradoxical consequences as in other Europan countries: populists attack democracy, but make it more stable by expanding its ability to integrate; they make use of anti-modern rhetoric, but by polarizing, consolidate their opponents. [ more ]
The fight for law and justice
On the political rhetoric of the Kaczynskis
Poland The Kaczynski brothers style themselves as the protectors of the "common people" from an enemy both inside and outside Poland's borders. Ironically, their Manichaean rhetoric shares much with the communist tradition they reject. [ more ]
The return of the radicals
Poland The radical government stems from that section of the Solidarity movement opposed to the route transformation took after 1989. Their cultural conservatism has landed on fertile ground in a contemporary Poland suffering from social alienation and distrust in democratic institutions [ more ]
Hungary: Populism and the politics of memory
Does a civil-war mentality exist in Hungary?
A roundtable interview
Hungary As Hungary sees another wave of rioting take place on the anniversary of the '56 revolution, talk of a "civil-war mentality" in the Hungarian public sphere seems once again to be justified. Eurozine asks journalists, authors, and publishers how it has come to this. [ more ]
Democracy or the street?
On the stability of the Hungarian political system
Hungary The demonstrations in Budapest in September 2006 marked the culmination of a conflict between Conservatives and the liberal Left. The rift is exacerbated by politicized disputes about the past, argues Thomas von Ahn. [ more ]
Democracy, populism, and the political crisis in Hungary
A response to Thomas von Ahn
Hungary In Hungary, it is not a question of whether history has been instrumentalized by politics, but of whether one approves of how it has been instrumentalized, argues György Schöpflin. [ more ]
On the aims of discourse
A response to György Schöpflin
Hungary Politically motivated narratives about the Hungarian past stand in the way of social consensus. Such a consensus would be an essential component of a society that was reconciled to itself, writes Thomas von Ahn. [ more ]
Bulgaria: Set for a long populist show?
Radical demophilia
Reflections on Bulgarian populism
Bulgaria Populism in Bulgaria feeds off two phenomena: a pure hatred of political parties and the constant emphasis in the public discourse on an alleged contrast between ordinary people and the political elite. [ more ]
National populism versus democracy
Bulgaria Given the failure of the leftist projects of the twentieth century, it is telling that far-right populism is more anti-democratic in the new democracies of eastern Europe than in the West, writes Antony Todorov. Is populism identical to the crisis of democracy or rather a symptom of it? [ more ]
The rise of illiberalism
"And I am gay"
Interview with Hungarian secretary of state Gábor Szétey
Illiberal Europe? In July, Hungarian secretary of state Gábor Szétey publicly announced his homosexuality. Two days later, people taking part in a gay-pride demonstration were assaulted. Szilvia Szilágyi asked Szétey about his decision and whether intolerance towards homosexuals is growing in Hungary today. [ more ]
When will words become actions?
Reflections on hate speech in Slovenia
illiberal europe? Homophobia and xenophobia, falsely parading as free speech, have entered the Slovenian political mainstream. Slovenia's former Human Rights Ombudsman warns that it is only a matter of time before words become actions. [ more ]
Nicolas Sarkozy, Gramsci reader
New power and the temptation of hegemony
illiberal europe? Nicolas Sarkozy has professed admiration for the Gramscian notion of "cultural hegemony" – political domination via domination of ideas. The difference is that Sarkozy seeks hegemony not over ideas so much as values. [Lithuanian version added] [ more ]
The retreat of reason
illiberal europe? "Set up a straw man, then knock it down with a few killer facts and a dose of common sense." On the anti-PC campaign in the rightwing British press and how it plays into the hands of the far-Right. [ more ]
More focal points
The city as stage for social upheaval
From the western European city to the Third World megacity, one is able to observe how a single principle asserts itself in the social structure of the urban space. That principle – privatization – is geared towards the concentration of wealth and assets on an increasingly global scale, a manoeuvre its beneficiaries seek to naturalize. [ more ]
Changing Europe
As political Europe turns 50, the questions about its future are as open as ever. A special focus featuring some of Eurozine's most outstanding contributions on the European project: From analyses of the current crisis to a hilarious parody of Brussels' literary ambitions. [ more ]
Post-secular Europe?
Is religion a public or a private matter? Can there be such a thing as a European Islam? If so, what characterizes it? What role can religion – or religions – play when it comes to the emergence of a European solidarity? [ more ]
European histories: Towards a grand narrative?
In order for there to be solidarity within the enlarged EU, it will be necessary to develop a broader historical consciousness that includes both western and eastern experiences. [ more ]
Europe talks to Europe: Towards a European public sphere?
The European integration project has made the discussion about transnational spaces for cultural and political debate acute. Can there at all be a common Europe without a pan-European public sphere? [ more ]
Politics of border making and (cross-)border identities
Have borders become irrelevant with the project of a united Europe? No, just the opposite. On the dilemmas of border building and cross-border cooperation in the EU and its neighbourhood. [ more ]
Freedom of speech and the Danish cartoon controversy
Free speech is a fundamental human right and a central tenet of democracy. Or is it? Reactions to the Danish cartoon controversy show that liberals are re-evaluating what the right to free speech entails. [ more ]
Politics of translation
Translation today is as much about the translation of cultural, political, and historical contexts and concepts as it is about language. [ more ]
Conferences
Friend and foe. Shared space, divided society
The 19th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
London, 27-30 October 2006
Speakers at the 19th European Meeting of Cultural Journals opened up the discussion on cultural diversity in two directions: first, as it is experienced in the physical urban space, and second, as it is reflected in the mirror of the media. [ more ]
Neighbourhoods
The 18th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
Istanbul, 4-7 November 2005
Contributions on the notion of neighbourhood and the Turkey-Europe question from a range of intellectual and geographic perspectives. [ more ]