I met with Professor Levan on January 30th from 3:50 to 4:30. During our meeting we discussed my case selection and the relationship of nationalism to the rising illiberalism in Eastern Europe.
Regarding case selection, we started by discussing why I wanted to focus on Hungary as my primary case. We then went on to discuss the value of adding a second case to my research as a comparison to primary case. Professor Levan’s recommendation was to pick another post-Communist Eastern European state that had not experienced democratic decline as a secondary case in order to explore how differences between the independent variables in that state and Hungary led to different outcomes. No firm decision was arrived at as to the identity of this case should be but both Croatia and the Baltic States were mentioned as potential candidates.
Our discussion on the role of nationalism in the rise of illiberalism in Eastern Europe was prompted by me observing that the governments in both Poland and Hungary, two of the most illiberal in the region, are also among the most nationalistic. I brought this up because I was wondering if he knew of any useful sources on nationalism and its relationship with democracy. He recommended the Oxford Reader on Nationalism edited by John Hutchinson and Anthony Smith, which I have since picked up from the library.
Going forward I need to select my second case and read up more on the relationship between nationalism and illiberalism. I also need to read more about Hungary so I can better understand my primary case. Perhaps the collective advising workshop can provide me with some advice on case selection as well as sources I can read to better understand my primary case.