Grassroots Party Activism: the Case of the “Tisza-Islands” in Hungary

Hybrid forms of political activism have become increasingly visible in contemporary politics. These include the growing involvement of political parties and politicians in protest arenas beyond formal, institutionalized politics (Borbáth & Hutter, 2021). Also, even since the 1990s, scholars have documented the NGOization of social movements in Eastern Europe (Hemment, 1998). Furthermore, the so-called SMOization of civil society organizations can be linked to several broader developments: the rise of the global justice movement in Western Europe (Della Porta, 2020); the increasing politicization of environmentalism in Eastern Europe during the 2000s (Mikecz, 2017); the growing contestation of civic space by illiberal governments in Eastern Europe in the 2010s (Hummel & Strachwitz, 2023); anti-austerity mobilizations in Western and Southern Europe (Della Porta, 2020); and the politicization of solidarity practices among refugee-support initiatives (Feischmidt & Zakariás, 2019). The transformation of party politics further complicates this issue. The dominance of large, popular parties first led to the hollowing out of traditional parties. The lost connection with members, gave rise the development of movement parties and the direct communication channels (interfaces) between parties and their supporters, instead of sticking to the classic, democratic decision making-processes requiring considerable organizational bureaucracies. In our paper, we present a case of hybridization of activism, the Tisza Islands, in Hungary. Building on this new case, we examine, how hybridization, the interplay between local civil society and the new interfaces interplay in the development of a new party. Péter Magyar, and the Tisza party emerged as a challenger to Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party in early 2024, as protests following the so-called “pardon affair” opened political opportunities for him and his new party. At the same time, local grassroots communities, Tisza Islands, loosely affiliated with the party emerged across the country. Drawing on interview data, the paper shows how local civil society, charitable activities, and party activism merge within these communities, offering a deeper understanding of the hybridization of different forms of activism.