CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Pavlovicova, Alexandra |
|---|---|
| Title | Contmporary (Right-wing) Populism as a Symptom of Late Modernity: Social Theory Perspective |
| Summary | The persistent success of contemporary right-wing populism in Europe no longer follows the conventional economic and demographic explanations, which raises the question of how it can be examined by scholars differently. This thesis explores if and in which way it can be understood as a problem, or a ‘symptom’, of late modernity, drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s concept of liquid modernity and Richard Sennett’s analysis of flexible capitalism. This thesis proposes that right-wing populism develops as a response to three interconnected consequences of late modernity: liquid identity, economic uncertainty and lack of institutional trust. The empirical analysis synthesizes the existing research on right-wing populism together with populism in general and interprets the patterns through the liquid modernity theory. The thesis demonstrates that populist appeal stems from offering what liquid modernity has dissolved and reveals populist voters are not primarily older conservatives but modern citizens across demographics that struggle with modernity’s cross-pressures. Finally, the thesis shows how social theory can enhance understanding of populist patterns, which can inform the design of more robust future empirical models. |
| Supervisor | Butzlaff, Felix |
| Department | Undergraduate Studies BA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/pavlovicova_alexandr.pdf |
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