[PAST EVENT] Turning Outrage into Contempt: the Emotional Basis of Democratic Backsliding in Eastern Europe

October 17, 2014
3:30pm - 5pm
Location
Blow Memorial Hall, Room 331
262 Richmond Rd
Williamsburg, VA 23185Map this location
More than twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, anti-political sentiment is increasingly evident across Eastern Europe. Such detachment from politics leaves young Eastern European democracies vulnerable to political volatility, radical right-wing extremism, and demagogues seeking to roll back democratic progress. This talk will examine these trends by investigating the way citizens feel towards their political systems, honing in on the pervasive use of political ?outrages? by political and media elites and the anger and disgust they inspire among the public. The talk will focus on Hungary as a case study and conclude with a broader discussion of the importance of these emotions to understanding political behavior in and beyond post-communist Europe.
Contact

Bella Ginzbursky-Blum (bbginz@wm.edu)