The aim of the workshop is to create a venue for scholars investigating the transformation of civil societies of Central European countries for exchanging their knowledge and research experiences. We invite young academics and PhDs from the region to join us with the prospect of creating a network of academics for collaborative projects in the future.
Those interested should send a 300 word abstract to Márton Gerő ( marton.gero@tatk.elte.hu
) by the 1 st of September. ( For a detailed description of the workshop see below.)
Selected applicants will be notified by the 25 th
of September. Full papers are expected to be sent to us two weeks before the workshop, since w e would like to circulate papers among us, appointing a discussant to each.
The budget of the workshop covers the accomodation and meals of the particpants.
Organizers:
1.
MTA-ELTE Peripato Comparative Social Dynamics Research Group, Hungary
Budapest
2.
Fundacja Socjometr Laboratorium Rozwiązań Społecznych, Krakow, Poland
3.
Centre for Non-profit Sector Research, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
For further information please contact us or visit the homepage of the MTA-ELTE Peripato
Group .
Aims and scope
The study of processes of mobilization has always been an issue of great interest for social and political sciences. Recent developments in Europe, namely the rise of populist parties and intensification of discourses critical of different minorities, direct our attention to one particular technique of mobilization: the usage of narratives about an enemy that threatens the nation .
This type of mobilization has been generally associated with far-right or radical populist parties that treat immigrants and ethnic or sexual minorities as enemies of their own imagined communities. The strategy of antagonizing is, however, employed by actors from all across the political spectrum. With prolonging economic crisis, such type of politics creeps more and more into mainstream politics. Despite claims that populism is just a ‘flash in the pan’ and will disintegrate before long, antagonizing politics have continued to prosper and in some countries have achieved a remarkable level of influence. It is a task of social and political sciences to study those changes not only in the scale of a given country, but also on the regional and
European levels.
The workshop focuses on two closely interrelated issues.

First, we want to discuss the similarities and differences in the usage of the image of enemy in processes of political mobilization in Central and Eastern Europe. The enemies might be immigrants, other minorities, or any distinct social group portrayed “enemy” in political communication (as communists, foreign agents etc.) We are interested in strategies and practices employed by different political actors, including parties, social movements and civil society organizations. We pay special attention to interpretative frames and discourses through which the image of the enemy is constructed, conveyed and propagated. What do such images owe to anti-Semitism, fascism or national chauvinism, how do past ideologies shape contemporary politics, but also what are the differences? We also welcome papers consider practices, cultural forms, appeals and use of new technologies in such mobilizations. What are the roots of the emergence and continuing success of antagonizing politics? Does it pose a threat to a democracy in Central and Eastern Europe? The workshop particularly interested in research, which tries to capture the dynamics of the discourse or the operation of movements built on “the picture of the enemy”.
Second, as a more theoretical inquiry, we ask how these practices affect civil societies and the operation of democratic institutions. Arguably, the emphasis on the threat that outsider groups presents for the community contradicts principles of pluralism and equal participation in the public sphere. On the other hand, political mobilization can be a source of participation that fuels democracy. Is there any essential difference between mobilization that assumes homogeneous ethnic community and one that does not presuppose any impassable boundaries between groups? What is the political purpose of invoking an image of the enemy? What are the consequences of such claims? How does the emphasis laid on the threat of the enemy, that instils a Schmittian logic into politics, affects democratic values and institutions in countries of our region?
We want to discuss whether the notion of “uncivil society”, the dark and violent side of political mobilizations in the post-communist countries, can be sensibly applied to
Central European societies.