Discourse, Hegemony, and Populism in the Visegrád Four

Description

This is the first book-length account of populism in the Visegrád Four (V4) countries — Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia — for the first 30 years of multi-party competition since the transformative events of 1989–91 in Central and Eastern Europe. Advancing a post-foundational approach to populism based on a semi-formal reading of Ernesto Laclau's theory, the book undertakes a detailed examination of how the 'people' has been constructed in populist discourses in the party systems of the four countries since 1989. Drawing on a wealth of source material, the book offers both a wide-ranging and in-depth overview and classification of populism in the V4 in terms of discursive (e.g. centrist, conservative, left-wing, liberal, nationalist, social) and hegemonic type (e.g. authoritarian hegemonic, generational counter-hegemonic) alike. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of populism, party politics, and Central and Eastern Europe. Cover Endorsements Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Contents Figures Tables Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction: discourse, hegemony, populism, and the Visegrád Four Populism and the Visegrád Four: an oft-trodden, yet under-excavated terrain Discourse - hegemony - populism: from concept to analysis Research questions and objectives Structure of the book References 1. Discourse - hegemony - populism: a conceptual horizon Populism as expression and deviation: objectivist approaches to populism Populism as thin construction: ideational approaches to populism Populism as construction and royal road: post-foundational approaches to populism Notes References 2. Discourse - hegemony - populism: a framework for analysis Analyzing populism and its conceptual Other(s) Research questions and case selection Source material and selection Notes References 3. Populism in the Czech Republic Introduction Historical background: the saga of "the people" from the "people's camps" to Masaryk to Gottwald "Your government, people, has returned to you!" The "post-November" imaginary and the anti-communist nationalist populism of the Republicans The anti-communist nationalist populism of the Rally for the Republic - Republican Party of Czechoslovakia (1990-92) The "post-November" hegemonic formation (1992-2006) "People" vs. "politicians" (2010-present): a break in the "post-November" imaginary The centrist populism of Public Affairs (2010) ANO: from centrist entrepreneur populism (2011-13) to a centrist populism of "hard work" in power (2014-present) Dawn of Direct Democracy and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD): from neo-liberal nativist populism (2013) to neo-conservative nativist populism (2017) ANO and SPD as competing populisms (2017) The liberal populism of the Czech Pirate Party (2013, 2017) Conclusion and summary Notes References 4. Populism in Hungary Introduction Historical background: the saga of "the people" between 1848, 1956, and 1989 "Hungarianhood" (magyarság) vs. "Hungary" (Magyarország): the divided imaginary of the "system change" "The prime minister of 15 million Hungarians": the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) between institutionalism and populist nationalism (1990-93) The populist nationalisms of the Hungarian Justice and Life Party (1993-2002) and Fidesz (1997, 2002-04) The national-conservative social populism of Fidesz (2006-09) The "System of National Cooperation" (NER) as hegemonic formation (2010-present) From "illiberal state" to "Stop Soros": the illiberal populist nationalism in power of Fidesz (2014-18) Jobbik: between anti-liberal populist nationalism and nationalist populism The nationalist populism of Jobbik (2010, 2014, 2017-18) The left-wing populism of the Dialogue for Hungary - Hungarian Socialist Party alliance (2018) Conclusion and summary Notes References 5. Populism in Poland Introduction Historical background: the saga of "the people" from Endecja and Sanacja to Gomułka Post-"Solidarity" vs. anti-"liberalism": the divided imaginary of post-1989 transition The anti-liberal left-wing populism of the Union of Labor (1993, 1997-2000) The anti-liberal nationalist and social populism of the Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland (2001-05) "Solidaristic Poland" vs. "Liberal Poland": a break in the post-1989 imaginary The anti-liberal nationalist populism of Law and Justice (2001-07) The anti-liberal nationalist and social populism of Law and Justice (2007-14, 2019) The anti-clerical liberal populism of Palikot's Movement (2010-11) The nationalist anti-party populism of Conclusion and summary Notes References 6. Populism in Slovakia Introduction Historical background: the saga of "the people" between 1848, 1918, and 1989 Pro- vs. anti-Mečiar: the divided imaginary of post-1989 transition Between nationalism and populism: the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) The centrist populism of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (2002) "Just like they stole under Mečiar, so they steal under Dzurinda": a break in the post-1989 imaginary The centrist populism of the early Smer (1999-2002) The conservative anti-party populism of Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (2012-present) The nativist entrepreneur populism of Sme Rodina (2016-present) Between ethno-nationalist reductionism and populism: Kotleba - People's Party Our Slovakia (2016-present) Conclusion and summary Notes References 7. Conclusions: discourse, hegemony, and populism after '89 Patterns of populism: hegemonic and counter-hegemonic, centrist, conservative, liberal, nationalist, nativist, social Populism as hegemonic and counter-hegemonic logic: from the first to the fourth generation Centrist, conservative, liberal, nationalist, nativist, social populisms Final remarks and outlook Notes References Bibliography Index