The Role of Sociology in an Illiberal Political Setting: The Case of Hungary

Using Hungary as a case study, the article explores the faltering and erratic trajectory of sociology, where its development has been impeded through elites wedded to conservative tradition/authoritarianism and or the vanguardism of Marxist-Leninism, these elites were wary of the innovative and disruptive potential of sociology. Sociologists though have aligned themselves with these hierarchical and hegemonic forces or simply kept quiet. A small number have offered dissent. The article discusses the role that sociology has played in Hungary, particularly during the times of authoritarian governance, which has historically been frequent, including in the present with the self-proclaimed illiberal regime of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The article argues that critical sociology should seek, in the tradition of the public intellectual, to offer resistance to authoritarianism and try and capture the imagination of the public acting as catalysts of transformative action that augurs a new ‘politics of happiness’.