Over the last 50 years, civil society has become synonymous with the Eastern European transition from communism to liberal democracy. It was civil society that brought down communist governments. And its civil society that struggles to preserve the democratic gains since 1989. But what happens to civil society organizations and activists in illiberal regimes? How do they resolve the tensions between grassroots activism and politicians, the local and national? These questions are urgent in Viktor Orban’s Hungary where participation in democratic institutions has narrowed. To get some answers, the Eurasian Knot turned to Daniel Mikesz, Fulbright Visiting Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, to discuss his book, Civil Movements in an Illiberal Regime: Political Activism in Hungary published by Central European University Press. Guest: Daniel Mikecz is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Political Science at the HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences and an Associate Lecturer at the Institute of Political Science of the Faculty of Law and Political Science of ELTE. In the academic year 2024-2025, he is a Fulbright Visiting Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He’s the author of Civil Movements in an Illiberal Regime: Political Activism in Hungary published by Central European University Press.