Petőcz Kálmán (szerk.): National Populism and Slovak - Hungarian Relations in Slovakia 2006-2009 (Somorja, 2009)
Peter Učen: Approaching National Populism
Approaching National Populism of life and widespread social dislocation and unemployment”, and as “a direct result of the ‘valley of tears’ that characterizes the post-communist transformation from a communist, centrally planned system, to a democratic, market society. The ‘social costs’ of the transition and the still ‘incomplete’ nature of modernization make a large number of ‘modernization losers’ susceptible to mobilization by populist movements” (Blokker 2005, 371). The latter group of explanations rests on assumption that “populism and its naturalist, exclusivist portrayal of the nation is the result of the re-emergence of deeply, culturally ingrained perception of social belonging, and of the foundations of the polity, in which the social whole is considered prior to the individual, and in which local culture is valued differently from Western culture” (Blokker 2005, 371). A normative conclusion on which both groups of explanations inevitable converge is that in order to overcome populism and nationalism, postcommunist societies are bound to political modernisation. That would mean adopting western liberal-democratic political institutions and its notion of citizenship based on ‘civic nationalism’. Appealing as it is, this kind of normative assumptions usually lacks a ‘roadmap’ for arriving at the desired destination. Western liberal democracies are remarkably diverse in terms of institutions and their operation. We believe that the essence of their Tiberal-democraticness’ is to be identified in the underlying political culture. Moreover, as far as of political culture is concerned, the lack of ‘roadmaps’ and ‘blueprints’ becomes even more frightening than it is in the case of the institutions. Nevertheless, we consider crucial that this project address the remedies most often proposed by the liberal scholars - civic nationalism and constitutional patriotism. The project should attempt to assess the realistic avenues for ‘arriving’ at the ‘normatively desired’ state of things against the backdrop of various conditions facilitating the success of the national populism in the country. FrAMEWOrI< foR tIhE PoST'CoMMUNÍST PopuiiSM We propose a classification of the post-communist populist politics which, after elaboration, could hopefully aspire to provide a ground for a more fruitful treatment of the ‘radical politics’ in societies in question. Thus, in terms of this project, it could also enhance the understanding of national populism. 23
