De-Europeanization, populism and illiberalism: Young people and democracy in Central and Eastern Europe

In this chapter, the social, political and economic contexts of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are outlined. An initial focus is on bottom-up citizens’ movements that led to democratic changes and independence from the Soviet Union in this part of Europe. This is followed by challenges in the development of civil societies in CEE. The younger generation’s formal and informal citizenship socialization, including education, is emphasized. Against this background, young adults’ complex and heterogeneous citizenship engagement is portrayed. Finally, the influence of de-Europeanization and illiberalism on young people is highlighted as the basis for identifying a key question about the relationship between young people’s perception of democratic retreat and their citizenship activity. This question forms the basis of discussion in the following section using the same theoretical and methodological framework across multiple CCE research sites. Copyright © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Beata Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz and Kerry J. Kennedy; individual chapters, the contributors.