Centre for Social Sciences Institute for Minority Studies

The new article by Zsombor Csata, Attila Papp Z. and their co-authors is now published online in Regional and Federal Studies, and is available at HERE.

Abstract. Can linguistic diversity in the media impede state language proficiency? In this paper, we test the extent to which the availability of minority languages in the media affects state language proficiency for ethnic minorities. We take advantage of an exogeneous development: The rapid expansion of Budapest-originating media outside Hungary in the mid-2000s transformed the media landscape in neighbouring states. Using an original survey data of ethnic Hungarians in minority regions in four Central-Eastern European states over two waves, we find (1) the availability of minority language media means minorities are consuming less media in the state language, which in turn induces low levels of state language proficiency – i.e. through an exogeneous exposure mechanism; and (2) minorities with weaker state language proficiency choose to consume minority language media – i.e. through an endogenous selection mechanism. The results suggest a strong relationship between the language of media consumption and linguistic proficiency.

Eszter Neumann will present her current work on right-wing populism and nationalism in European politics in an online seminar ´Education for a Christian nation.´ The event will be organized by the Research Centre on Transnationalism and Transformation (TRANSIT) of the Tampere University on Friday, January 20th at 2:00pm (Helsinki time, EET). Registration is now open at HERE.

The new article by Attila Papp Z., Eszter Kovács and András Kováts is now published online in Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, and is available at HERE.

The paper outlines the functioning of Hungarian weekend schools in the United Kingdom, which are key institutions in emerging diaspora communities. The paper interprets Hungarian weekend schools in two paradigms: it approaches them as diaspora institutions, and also as Anglo-Saxon supplementary schools. One of the paper’s main conclusions is that, in addition to the manifest functions of Hungarian weekend schools (e.g., preservation of national identity, mother-tongue education, community engagement), latent functions are also essential, such as the psychological need of belonging to a community, the support of children’s educational attitudes, the consciousness of bilingualism, the enhancement of social capital, and integration into the host community. Thus, weekend schools are not only sites for knowledge transfer, but they also provide space for the institutionalization of diaspora as cultural community-building institutions.

TThe project „Post-WWII Migration Flows in the V4 States in the Context of Propaganda Studies” (No. 22030354) coordinated by Dr. Lucia Heldáková (Institute of Social Sciences, Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences) was realized with the support of the International Visegrad Fund. The Centre for Social Sciences Institute for Minority Studies from Budapest was represented in the project by Dr. András Morauszki. In the framework of this project, the research results of our two colleagues, Dr. Ágnes Tóth and Dr. Réka Marchut were published.You can find more details about the project on this webpage: https://postww2migration.com/

The co-authored article by Csilla Fedinec and István Csernicskó was published in the latest issue (2022/5) of the Forum Social Sciences Review, and is available at HERE.

The open access chapter by Balázs Dobos was published in the volume titled Realising Linguistic, Cultural and Educational Rights Through Non-Territorial Autonomy (Cham: Springer), edited by David J. Smith, Ivan Dodovski, and Flavia Ghencea. The open access book is available at HERE.

The chapter by Balázs Vizi was published in the volume titled Minority Recognition and the Diversity Deficit. Comparative Perspectives edited by Jessika Eichler and Kyriaki Topidi (Oxford: Hart Publishing). The table of contents is available at HERE.

Fedinec Csilla, Csernicskó István: Історично-структурні чинники мовного розвитку Закарпаття в період австро-угорської монархії (1867–1918) [Historical-Structural Analysis of Linguistic Development of the Slavic Population of Transcarpathia During the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (1867–1918)]. Україна: культурна спадщина, національна свідомість, державність, 35 (2022) pp. 63-77.

Edited by Tove H. Malloy and Balázs Vizi (Edward Elgar, 2022). This timely Research Handbook provides a multidisciplinary overview of research on ethno-cultural minority issues at the supranational level of the EU. It delivers a state-of-the-art review of the EU’s approaches to development and institutional implementation of minority policies from the Treaty of Rome until today. More information available at the publisher's website (HERE).

Réka Marchut will attend the international seminar organized by the University of Jyväskylä, Department of History and Ethnology on November 8-9. The title of her paper is: The Legend of Potsdam? The International Aspects of the Expulsion of Ethnic Germans from Hungary. The full programme of the event is available at HERE.