Political Polarisation and Populism in Contemporary Hungary1

摘要

This article investigates the polarisation that dominates Hungarian politics and divides the political spectrum into two hegemonic camps. It explores frontier-building in Hungarian politics since 1989 in order to further an understanding of recent political developments. The aim of this paper is not to discuss the demands of regular political riots, but to put the problem into its proper context and longer-term perspective. It grasps the logic of polarisation as a bipolar hegemony and a political tool in postcommunist Hungary, demonstrating how schematic political identifications and polarisation itself have been constructed. Finally, it considers some of the problems polarisation poses for democracy.