Toward the polarization of blocs and reification. Hungarian discourses on migration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64718/ciklus/2026-02-03Keywords:
reification, marketization, migration, neoliberal system, right-wing populismAbstract
What are the discursive structures, interactions, and related material conditions that have contributed to the polarization between the liberal pro-market bloc and the ultra-nationalist bloc? Based on Karl Polányi’s theoretical framework, a well-founded hypothesis can be posited that marketization lies behind the struggle between utilitarian, pro-EU, and nationalist discourses. In this complex context, we must pay attention to discursive mechanisms, as these – in interaction with material processes and conditions – also play an independent role. In this study, we focus on Hungary, specifically because it is the country that has long been at the forefront of establishing the counter-hegemony of anti-migration discourses, contrasting them with pro-European discourses supporting managed migration. The analysis is based on 91 systematically selected articles from the period under examination (July 2021–April 2022). At the end of the study, we briefly discuss how the public accepts, follows, or opposes the discursive perspectives shaped by the media.
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