Where Are Those Better Angels of Our Society? Subaltern Counterpublics in Hungary During the Refugee Crisis

Abstract

This article presents findings of a research carried out among pro-refugee individuals in social media in Hungary. During the so-called refugee crisis that emerged in the summer of 2015, anti-immigrant sentiments in the Hungarian public were fueled by a strong governmental campaign. This unusually strong propaganda campaign created a strong hegemonic discourse. Nevertheless, a pro-refugee counterpublic opposing the hegemonic discourse also emerged. The article discusses existing scholarly literature on the phenomenon and how it appears in and is shaped by the digital sphere. The empirical findings focus on two characteristics of the pro-refugee counterpublic. First, we look at the political affiliations of this counterpublic. Second, we ask if the different digital affordances used by the counterpublic and their combinations indicate the formation of a community. The methodological ambition of the article is to present a digital data-driven approach, based on data provided by Facebook, which allows the individual profiling of each user. The connections and schemata of these profiles provide the analytical background of the present research. We aim to illustrate that such a digital approach has a number of advantages over traditional sociological methods, especially in the research of subaltern counterpublics.

The Online–Offline Hybrid Model of a Collaborative Solidarity Action: Migrant Solidarity Grassroots Groups in Hungary

“…The dominant activity was attending a Facebook event, followed by liking posts (these should be in reverse order according to the theory), while Facebook group membership indeed covers fewer activists but it is not a marginal group; rather, it is significant in terms of number of activists (half of the only-liking group). This also suggests that online and offline activism (e.g., liking, commenting, sharing a post or joining a group and participation in an event) are not separate, but rather complementary elements in a humanitarian action that reinforces the framing of hybrid activism in the Hungarian migrant solidarity movement (Dessewffy, Nagy & Váry 2017).…”

"Sorry about our Prime Minister" - Social movement responses to governmental anti-refugee discourse in Hungary

“…There is a consensus in the literature that in case study research cases should be added until theoretical saturation, or information redundancy has been reached (Mills, Durepos, & Wiebe, 2009, p. 838). It should be noted that in the previous years I have carried out research related to the aims of the present thesis (Nagy, 2017a;Nagy, 2017c;Dessewffy, Nagy, & Váry, 2018;Nagy, 2018), that I do not detail here, as they either do not fit into the present research framework or do not add relevant knowledge to what is to be discussed here. I believe that the case studies described here allow for a holistic but focused discussion of the issues at stake.…”

Harry Potter, avagy a politikai bölcsek köve? Populáris kultúra és politikai aktivizmus

“…Ez a módszertan már eddig is ígéretes eredményeket hozott és további kérdések megválaszolásához is hasznos lehet. (Dessewffy-Nagy, 2016;Dessewffy-Nagy-Váry, 2018;Dessewffy-Gurály-Mezei, 2018. ) E kettős tartalmi és módszertani célkitűzést követve, a kultúra és politika viszonyát elemző tengernyi irodalomban egy eddig feltáratlan területre jutunk.…”