Anxiety and Post-Authoritarian Societies: Insights from 1980s Greece

Abstract

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.