The Case of Emergency: How Does COVID-19 Influence Nationalism Development In Hungary?

Abstract

Following COVID-19 outbreak has served for the activation of national movements all over the world. While the pandemics and viruses themselves are not new phenomena for humanity, scholars have recently started to investigate the connection between pandemics and nationalism. This article aims to investigate nationalism and the impact of the coronavirus on the development of nationalism in Hungary. The main research question imposed: are some minorities and migrants victims of prejudice and xenophobia among Hungarians and if so, to what extent is COVID-19 a contributing factor? The overall results obtained through the survey with the use of netnographic method showed the inability of COVID-19 to fuel nationalism. However, it identified some possible ‘sensitive’ groups and raised new questions. Although the main interest of the researcher is found in the case of Hungary, this article may serve as the thought-provocation for other countries.

Keywords

• populism
• nationalism
• migrants
• hungary
• covid-19