Eszter Bartha

The research interrogates the question as to what extent the newly formed skilled industrial “elite” workforce, mainly driven by global capital in Eastern Germany and Hungary, is attracted by right-wing, populist ideologies and political forces, and what factors can be identified that account for the decreasing appeal of the “old left” in this stratum of workers. The project contends that the specific Eastern European historical legacies alongside a longue durée perspective should receive more emphasis in the research. The German-Hungarian comparative project is expected to: (a) contribute to an emergent literature, which seeks to reorient research towards a global labour history (Linden 2008), namely new directions in political sociology, labor sociology, social anthropology and gender studies; (b) facilitate new strategies of labour revitalization, which are considered to be vital for a deeper understanding of the mobilizing power of right-wing populism; (c) generate a wider social dialogue on labour and democracy.