The plow and the stallion: Political turmoil in a working-class district of Budapest

Abstract

Drawing on anthropological fieldwork in Csepel, Budapest, Kürti examines key changes in local politics. Among them, he maintains, are the retrenchment of state authority and the emergence of right-wing political organizations and parties, which have contributed to the institutionalization of asymmetrical relations of power and influence with important consequences for local political processes, participation and welfare. A working-class movement and culture contributed to the image of Red Csepel, and until 2010 it supported the liberal-left political parties. Then, attitudes and values changed and many young workers began to question their parents’ politics. In 2010 the leftist candidates received a major blow at the polls as Csepelers turned right. This was repeated in 2014. Drawing on the accounts of residents, workers and intellectuals, Kürti offers an analysis of how and why this happened.