Civic and Uncivic Values in Hungary: Value Transformation, Politics, and Religion. Edited by Sabrina P. Ramet and László Kürti. (Routledge, 2026)

Examines civic values in contemporary Hungary, particularly under Viktor Orbán's rule.The volume frames civic values rooted in principles such as the rule of law, tolerance, and individual rights as foundational to liberal democracy and argues that these have been eroded in Hungary's evolving political order.The chapters are structured into four parts: 'The system', which addresses institutional and political transformations; 'Values', which situates Hungary within comparative and European contexts; 'Culture, gender, and history textbooks', which explores how values are reproduced and contested socially and culturally; and a concluding chapter that synthesizes the findings.This organization presents a multidimensional account from political institutions to everyday practices and cultural representations.The book conceptualizes political change as a process of 'autocratization' shaped by transformations in political institutions and civic norms.In Chapter 2, 'Politics in Hungary: Two critical junctures', András Bozóki and István Benedek trace the transformation of Hungary's political system through two key moments: the crisis of the late 2000s and the consolidation of power after 2010.They show how these junctures enabled the emergence of what they describe as a populist electoral autocracy, characterized by formally competitive elections but substantively uneven political conditions.Their analysis links structural changes, such as constitutional revisions and the weakening of checks and balances, to broader patterns of political competition and public discourse.By situating Hungary within debates on populism and hybrid regimes, the chapter provides a conceptual basis for the book.The book is attentive to the role of media in shaping civic and uncivic values.Chapter 3, 'The Hungarian media system: Unequal worlds', by Attila Bátorfy, documents the concentration of media ownership in pro-government hands following 2010.It details how public media and segments of the private media market were brought under political influence, often through indirect mechanisms such as acquisitions by allied business actors and the creation of centralized foundations.Rather than presenting this as simply a matter of censorship, Bátorfy emphasizes that the restructuring of the media landscape produces an asymmetrical public sphere in which progovernment narratives dominate.This analysis illustrates how institutional change is reinforced through control over information and representation.The book is grounded in survey and comparative research on civic attitudes.In Chapter 4, 'Hungarian civic values in a European context', Kristen Ringdal uses data from the European Values Study to analyze social trust, political participation, and tolerance in Hungary in comparison with other European countries.By placing Hungary in comparative perspective, Ringdal points to relatively low levels of confidence in political institutions and limited participation in