Polarised societies, a prevailing mood of uncertainty fuelled by the crisis in the Western world and the threat posed by autocratic regimes, bureaucratisation, the absurd excesses of identity politics, conflicts between nations seeking to preserve their sovereignty and supranational organisations. Tolerance and cancel culture, populism and elitism – all these concepts and processes have become an integral part of our everyday lives in the 21^st century.

How can we maintain clarity in this extremely over-ideologised power-semantic-media space, where the news, images, and phenomena that bombard us obscure the very essence of democracy, the noblest ideal of human coexistence?
Janne Haaland Matlary focuses on the most critical issues of our time and offers interpretive alternatives to help us find our way.

“Three concepts are essential in democracy: equality of citizens (equal opportunities and equal political status), freedom of thought and speech, and rationality in political debates and processes (i.e., objectivity). And, of course, the right to self-determination—the foundation of true nation-state democracy.”

Author: Janne Haaland Matlary

Year of publication: 2025

Publisher: Helikon Publishing

Place of publication: Budapest

Language: Hungarian

Number of pages: 292