The Nationalist Turn in Youth Culture

Margit Feischmidt

doi:10.17356/ieejsp.v6i4.662

Abstract

This paper points to an important turn in youth culture which underpins increasing radical-right political sympathies and a propensity to national belonging and dignity-seeking among the youth. Qualitative analysis of 14 focus group interviews conducted in Hungary proves that the desire for political engagement of a significant segment of youth who have positioned themselves in opposition to a globalized youth culture and the apolitical stance of their generation. Inspired by cultural theories in political sociology that are also applied in the study of youth, and working with qualitative methods, this paper investigates the cultural dimension of radical-right politics and youth culture. The paper states that new forms of nationalism play a major role in the radical right turn among the youth by emphasizing the role of a general sense of disempowerment and disillusionment and claims for collective dignity which are framed in a hierarchical and mythical discourse about the nation. The major claim of this paper in this regard is that the renewal of nationalism and the commitment to the far-right in Hungary are closely connected.

Highlights

The research which this paper relies on was conducted – as part of a larger project on new forms of identity politics and nationalism – eight years ago, prompted at that time by an alarming increase in support for far-right politics among young Hungarians
The paper applies a cultural perspective to understand the political turn of a considerable segment of Hungarian youth, which leans upon the cultural approach in political sociology, as Mabel Berezin (1997; 1999) has defined it
The paper starts with a short introduction to the study of youth on the far right, and to cultural theories in political sociology; two approaches which this paper aims to combine

Summary

Introduction

The research which this paper relies on was conducted – as part of a larger project on new forms of identity politics and nationalism – eight years ago, prompted at that time by an alarming increase in support for far-right politics among young Hungarians. This role appeared to be even more preponderant in the post-socialist world, where the global cultural industry has been incredibly successful in marketing the commodities of youth culture, but has managed to secure a hegemonic position by distributing the symbolic markers of a westernized middle-class status Since this gatekeeping role has obviously been dependent on the economic growth – which has provided a growing number of young people with the means of entering the cultural market as consumers – the question what happens when growth stops is warranted and raised in this paper. This is exactly what I try to disclose in the Hungarian context: the transformation of youth culture in a way which opens the door to the new cultural and political entrepreneurs of the far right

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Conclusion