National Narcissism

National Narcissism offers a groundbreaking anthropological and sociological approach to nationalism through an exposé of the belief systems and psychology of extreme nationalists for whom nationalism is a form of religion. This theoretical approach is illustrated with examples primarily taken from Hungary, with a special focus in two chapters on the role of gender in nationalism. The state of politics and society in Hungary is also examined in a way that steps beyond the usual simplistic, flat narratives of 'what Hungarians are like', by stressing the broad variety of viewpoints current in Hungarian society, the milieu in which a small minority of extreme nationalists are able to make their voice heard out of proportion to their numbers or political support. The theory offered by National Narcissism has wide-ranging implications for the future study of extremist nationalism in nation-states throughout the world. Sociologists, anthropologists, nationalism studies specialists, social-psychologists, and historians of the recent past in Hungary will find that this theoretical book, richly illustrated with examples from Hungarian society, challenges positive and negative stereotypes about nationalism, extremism, post-communism, central and eastern Europe, the European Union and, not least, about Hungarians themselves.

Autorentext

The Author: Eric Beckett Weaver is currently carrying out research on Hungary in Budapest and in Oxford, at St Antony s College. His studies, analyses, translations and poetry have been published in a variety of forums and languages. He is the curator of two highly acclaimed exhibitions, Ph.D. Nationalism (Belgrade, 1998), and Kosovo/a: The media war (Budapest, 2000). He is a member of the board or managing committee of several academic societies dealing with central and south-eastern Europe.

Inhalt

Contents: Nationalist Extremism as a Historical Heritage Motherland and Collective Memory Irredentism and Extremism in Hungary Extremism and Beliefs in Historical Primacy The Failure of Nationalist Politics Traditional and New Nationalist Gender Discourse National Narcissism Inside and Outside the E.U.