Anxiety and Post‐Authoritarian Societies

Insights from 1980s Greece

Datos Bibliográficos

ID9876910
AutoresPanagiotis Zestanakis (0000-0003-1954-3315, Centre for Intermedial and Multimodal Studies (IMS) Linnaeus University Universitetsplatsen 1 Växjö 35195 Småland Sweden, autor de correspondencia)
Año2024
Volumen109
Número386-387
Páginas395-418
Fecha de publicación2024-09-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaHistory (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0018-2648 • E-ISSN: 1468-229X
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1468-229x.13392
OpenAlexW4391932192
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas16

This article discusses anxiety as an analytical and methodological concept in the investigation of post‐authoritarian societies, drawing on three well‐being‐focused anxieties that marked Greece in the 1980s: first, the degradation of the urban environment, especially in Athens; second, the technologisation of everyday life, most notably the popularisation of information technology; and third, the impact of novel, consumption‐focused media, particularly lifestyle magazines. The analysis distinguishes anxiety from fear and argues that fear is commoner in authoritarian regimes than in new democracies, which often experience optimism and cultural pluralism. These conditions foster anxieties related to well‐being. By exploring a juncture at which moderate economic progress coincided with democratisation and closer contact with Western Europe, the article argues that anxiety is a productive tool for examining the emotional impact of mild perceived threats to well‐being in societies characterised by relatively calm life conditions

Anxiety · Authoritarianism · Democracy · Democratization · Development economics · Economics · Epistemology · Everyday life · Optimism · Pluralism (philosophy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Law · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social Psychology · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics