Heroisation and victimisation: populism, commemorative narratives and National Days in Hungary and Poland

ABSTRACT

Despite the significance of historical narratives on populism, the congruence between collective memory and scholarship regarding populism is scarce in Central and Eastern European countries. We address this gap by analysing the commemorative narratives of the competing populist right-wing political parties in Hungary and Poland promoted during celebrations for the Day of National Unity and National Independence Day celebration. The paper analyses the structure, content and functions of commemorative speeches to highlight the similarities and differences between the political actors under consideration. The findings reveal that victimisation and heroisation are constant and stable components of both countries’ political narratives. Moreover, the elements of populist communication are articulated alongside nationalist themes emphasising the greatness of the nation, historical revisionism or national Catholicism. The references to the people using ethno-cultural and exclusionary terms are of particular significance. Although praised and credited with positive qualities, the Polish and Hungarian peoples are more frequently presented as victims of international enemies, European elites or internal, cultural and political elites. This victimhood status allows political actors to both represent themselves as advocates of the people and legitimises their claims.

KEYWORDS:

• Populism
• right wing
• collective memory
• national days
• narrative

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 822590 (Democratic Efficacy and the Varieties of Populism in Europe).

The data collection and analysis on Hungary was also supported by National Research Development and Innovation Office under agreement No. 131990 (Political Communication in the Age of Expressivity).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. On 2014 PiS was still in the opposition. Its status changed after October 2015 parliamentary elections when the party won majority of seats in Sejm (the lower chamber of Polish parliament) and subsequently created the United Right coalition government.

Additional information

Funding

This article has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 822590. Any dissemination of results here presented reflects only the authors’ view. The Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.