Janaina Cordeiro1; 1 Federal Fluminense University, Brazil
Discussion
This paper aims to discuss the appropriation of the idea of Central Europe by the radical right-wing in the region in the first decades of the 21st century. In order to do this, I will first analyse the history of the concept in the 20th century, in particular its resurgence in the 1980s by dissident movements and intellectuals in countries such as Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. I will then analyse how, more recently, the idea of Central Europe has been used by certain right-wing groups and political parties - particularly in Hungary - as a synonym for the Videgrad Group, giving it a specific interpretation that either seeks to affirm Hungary's leadership role in the region or hopes to favour potential alliances in the name of common interests.
In this sense, I will analyse the concept's re-updating since the second decade of the 21st century, seeking to understand - through speeches and publications on the subject - how the concept of Central Europe has been re-signified by the radical right-wing in the region, especially in Hungary, bringing it closer to illiberal perspectives.
