My project focuses on the role played by Hungary and Hungarian literature in the life and writings of Serbian writer Danilo Kiš (1935-1989). Kiš, born in Subotica/Szabadka when it was part of Royal (interwar) Yugoslavia, had a Hungarian-speaking Jewish father, Eduard, and a Serbian-speaking Orthodox Christian mother from Montenegro, Milica Dragičević. Kiš spent the years of World War II in Hungary, and his father was deported to Auschwitz from there and killed by the Nazis. For the rest of his life Kiš maintained an active engagement with Hungarian literature by writing essays about it (he especially admired Endre Ady) and publishing a large number of his own Serbian translations of Hungarian poetry. Wartime Hungary also figures prominently in his autobiographical novels, in some of his short stories, and in his play Night and Fog (an English translation of which I have just published in the journal Absinthe: New European Writing).
Not only do I analyze the image of Hungary in Kiš's fiction and non-fiction, but I also examine his essays in particular in order to home in on the regional identities that are of such great concern to cultural and intellectual historians. For instance, it can be argued that Kiš takes the "sting" out of the term Balkan by shifting discourse away from the traditional arrangement "Balkans--Central Europe--Eastern Europe--Europe" that has informed so much nationalism, state-building, and scholarship in the region. Kiš stresses global or pan-European cultural identity, and his refurbished vocabulary of regional associations focuses on "Mediterranean" and "Pannonian" characteristics. Kiš's overturning of invidious distinctions between sub-mentalities in Europe is a refutation of many fixed, registered, ascribed identities---even, to some extent, the venerable material of Central Europeanness, his commonalities with Konrád, Kundera, and Miłosz notwithstanding. This emphasis on integration and commonality also predisposes him to keep the "big picture" in mind with regard to totalitarianism, a term he uses with equal readiness for both Stalinism and fascism.

The idea of a Hungarian Jewish Museum was born soon after the millennial exhibition of 1896, collecting was started in 1909 and the Museum was opened to the public in a minimal way in 1916. It moved into a purpose built space in 1932 (next to the Dohany synagogue where it still is today) and struggled during the 1930’s to find its feet, define its purpose, and develop its activities. During WWII, on the eve of the destruction of a large segment of Hungarian Jewry, it became perhaps the most important institution in the country for researching, documenting, collecting, exhibiting, and safeguarding Hungarian Jewish culture and history. But what is specially remarkable and poignant about the work of the Museum at this time is the conscious attempt to create not merely a repository for documents and objects illustrating Jewish life in Hungary but a testament to the integral part Jews had played in Hungarian life over the centuries. A good part of this work was undertaken in the mostly unspoken hope that appreciation of this linkage would be beneficial for the Jewish community.
Based on research in the Hungarian Jewish Archives, where the remnants of the Museum’s documents are housed today, this paper will examine how in the years between 1939-1944 despite serious limitations in human and financial resources and the increasingly threatening war-time situation, the leaders, advisors, and tiny professional staff of the Museum made a concerted and heroic effort to seek out and save what they could of the past; for them this was not just about saving the Jewish past but the Hungarian past also. They understood that their role was no longer just to remain a store-room of memories from the past (“a múlt emlékeinek tárháza”) but to become a lasting memorial for the future, however uncertain that future was.
In parallel with the devastation of the Jewish communities in the countries surrounding Hungary, a feverish round of activities began. These included: rewriting the organization’s charter and objectives, expanding its advisory board, creating a new association for scholarly and cultural research, making trips around the country on rescue missions, organizing and curating exhibitions, delivering public lectures, publishing a journal to disseminate research, among others. Little of this activity has been researched and written about although much of the current collection is a living testimony to the efforts of those years. The question may well be asked: was their effort to preserve the past in vain?

The Hungarian Language in Transylvania: Diaspora Existence and the Possibilities of Revitalization

In my paper I aim to outline the present situation of the Hungarian language in Transylvania, the complexities of language shift and maintenance, as well as the possibilities of revitalization. One of the questions I wish to address is whether the Hungarian language can or cannot be considered endangered in Transylvania and thus in need of urgent help. I present the three types of demographic and linguistic situations of the Hungarians in Transylvania (hopefully using some of the data of the newest census): the compact territory of the Székely Land, the island situation as well as the diaspora situation of North-East and South Transylvania, where the number and proportion of the Hungarian minority is very low and thus it can be considered endangered. I connect these situations to Fishman’s Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale which helps identify the level of endangerment as well as some actions that need to be done in order to reverse language shift.

Today in Burgenland a small minority of approximately 10,000 people speak Hungarian and an even smaller group of about 4,700 people see themselves as ethnic Hungarians. Besides some Hungarian speaking areas in the north, the main regions where the Hungarian minorities are located, are Oberpullendorf/Felsőpulya and Oberwart. Since Burgenland was part of the Hungarian Kingdom until 1921, it may seem surprising that nowadays not more then 1.8 percent of the population belongs to the Hungarian minority. However, this fact is strongly linked to the history of this region. In the Middle Ages, under the rule of the Árpád’s between the 10th and the 12th century, villages in the western part of Hungary were founded to defend the Hungarian borders. Interesting in this context is the fact that even today this former „frontier-guard-villages” are the core area of the Hungarians today. Since 1526, after the death of King Lajos II. (1506–1526), West-Hungary became part of the Habsburg Empire. Due to the Reformation, the Turkish Wars, the Revolution of 1848, or the compromise of 1867 the ethnic, religious, and economic structure changed dramatically. Since 1921 Burgenland became a part of the Republic of Austria. Consequently, a lot of Hungarians left this region and the situation of the Hungarian minority declined. Linked to this history, the question I want to raise in my paper is: How has the Hungarian minority developed after 1945 in Burgenland in general? And especially in the district of Oberwart, meaning in the two “villages” Siget in der Wart (Őrisziget), Unterwart (Alsóőr) and the city of Oberwart (Felsőőr)?

During my research paper, I focus on the impact of technology, digital rearrangement, and digital development on museums- I review the previously peripheral segment of the cultural industry, operating with a different mechanism from the core cultural industrial logic - David Hesmondhalgh's work (titled The Cultural Industries) is my theoretical starting point.

I apply the mentioned framework to the solutions of the quarantine culture. (1) I overview the field of museum which is focusing on emerging new types of solutions, and it shows the new museum pedagogy’s solutions as well. (2)During my presentation I give a picture of an „aggressive”, non-organically developed media mediation in the field of museum. My samplings comes from the analysis of the practices of the Hungarian cultural scene. I analyze the new solutions which particularry appeared during the quarantine culture, during the pandemic: I focus on presence, I summarize virtual exhibition’s solutions and practices. After the theoretical framework, and sampling, I discuss my main thesis: the peripheral cultural segment found its practices to join the core cultural segment’s operation with the help of the non-organic media presence. (3)

The Magyar Turizmus Rt. (Hungarian Touristic Board) is officially responsible for the touristic image marketing of Hungary. In the last few years, the picture we show for foreigners about our country and touristic sights have been more and more detailed and targeted. What kind of messages, promotional channels are used, and who are our main target groups? What are the results of image communication process? What do we think in Hungary about our own sights and image? What do the foreigners think? The presentation will answer these questions.
Nearby the touristic image of Hungary, the overall national, political, social, and economic image of the country would be analyzed. What do the other countries do, and how they promote their image and touristic sights? What does the national brand mean?
Several pictures, videos, and music will be shown during the presentation to illustrate the colorful image of Hungary.

Due to the growing importance of online communication and of the online press, and as a consequence of the fact that online media are easily accessible on mobile phones, the importance of the linguistic influence of online media should not be overlooked. The present paper deals with the general characterization of the language used by professionals in online media (journalists, reporters) and it focuses on the impact of these language habits on public language use in Transylvania. The research part of our paper is based on the 2021 Research Project conducted by the group of researchers working at Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania and Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj Napoca. The object of this research was the monitoring of online media written in Hungarian language in Romania. Our database is composed of more than 3000 entries of linguistic data. The theoretical background of the paper will be provided mostly by scholarly literature from the field of Sociolinguistics, such as professional language use, the language of mass media and language registers.

This presentation focuses on Debrecen's and Szeged's social life via the work of local literary associations. Moreover, it investigates their identity-forming role and their influence upon the urban identity and image of the cities respectively. The literary associations, the Csokonai Kör [Csokonai Circle] in Debrecen and the Dugonics Társaság [Dugonics Association] in Szeged played a crucial role in the formative period of urbanization in the 19th Century. The emergence and formation of local associations presuppose a conscious need for the citizens to express their freedom and self-identification within the society. They fostered the modern image of these cities in the Hungarian countryside. Local associations provided public spaces where people could meet, identify, and freely discuss common social problems; and, through that discussion, influence political action. These associations cultivated good relations and horizontal ties with other Hungarian literary societies and followed the latest news worldwide through their correspondences. The other aim of my paper is to scrutinize the 19th Century US associational culture and its impact on the urban identity and community formation from a transnational historical point of view. The local voluntary associations provided a "second home" for migrants, contributing to the local elite formation and strengthening its members' solidarity. My presentation aims to give an asymmetrical comparison of the 19th Century Hungarian and American Associational cultures and look for possible relations.

The present study is part of a larger research on the impact of the pandemic crisis caused by Covid-19 on women's value judgements. During the second wave, i.e. the first quarter of 2021, the question arose as to how the members of women's associations, closely linked to church congregations, responded to the pandemic crisis that placed an increased burden on them, whether they were able to adapt to the new situation in a short time, so that they could meet their basic need for faith and communication, support and care for each other, used as a coping and defence mechanism. A total of 70 Transylvanian (Romanian-Hungarian) and American-Hungarian women participated in the questionnaire survey, supplemented by in-depth interviews. The study also aims to explore the extent to which the members of women's associations have been affected by the pandemic crisis, whether their attitudes towards each other, their approach to everyday life and their faith have changed, and last but not least, what differences there might be between the attitudes of Hungarian women in Transylvania and in the US.

The authors summarize their experiences about a joint research project supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, USA),which was implemented and carried out in Hungary. Scientific cooperation was started in 1999, aiming to find genetic and psychosocial risk factors of childhood-onset depression. The joint work included American, Canadian and Hungarian scientists. The collected sample included N=723 children with major depressive disorder and their families recruited from 23 clinical sites across Hungary. Examinations included detailed psychiatric history, developmental and life events of the child, self and parent-rated questionnaires. At peak intensity the study involved about 30 professionals (child psychiatrists and psychologists), had 3 centers and 23 research sites. There has not been such a scientific cooperation in Hungarian child psychiatry before. Beside the implementation of the American research standards in Hungary, child psychiatry professionals received training in several important areas (semi-structured interviewing, psychiatric diagnostic evaluation, scientific publication). Three Hungarian researchers received scientific training at Pittsburgh University. Scientific results of the study were published in leading international and Hungarian journals (17 publications in genetic research and 15 in psychosocial aspects of childhood-onset depression, as of today). The above described research project shows how bridges between Hungarians can lead to high quality scientific work and benefit all participants.

Augusta Markowitz was devoted disseminator of cultural and especially Hungarian cultural information in New York. From 1897 until 1944 she served the New York Public Library system first as a young Assistant, later promoted to Branch Librarian. Most of her carrier she was the head of the Woodstock Branch Library in an area of large Hungarian population. She was responsible not only for her branch service, but for the Hungarian material of the whole NPL system. Above all she maintained a non commercial Hungarian Book Service in New York. Her Hungarian book lists helped with book selection other libraries and Hungarians in the US. She was a great integrator. As professional American librarian was aware of and joined the Library service for foreigners (immigrants) program of America, as Hungarian built up stable contacts with leading Hungarian editors, libraries and the contemporary literary world and press in Hungary by visits and correspondence. For decades her library in Woodstock with a large Hungarian collection served as Hungarian cultural center of events, exhibitions and became the source of information. Circle of intellectuals, artists, politicians and the general readers all enjoyed her service. In 1934 the Hungarian government awarded her its Red Cross Award of Merit for her valuable activity. This research is based on archival material and also on contemporary publications and press identified in New York and in Hungary.

Cultural competence generally refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. Although cultural competence has been widely analyzed in the professional world (e.g. in the works of NGOs, government agencies, policy making institutions, HR offices, health care practitioners, etc.), it has also attracted considerable academic interest in the field of education. Within education, however, the discussion has concentrated on the training and the education of teachers and school staff and the developing of their cultural competence, especially with the growing diversiy of students in the classrooms both in the US and worldwide. Being a culturally competent educator means valuing diversity and respecting differences of students who come from very different backgrounds in order to understand them and communicate with them efficiently.

As a sociolinguist, an educator and a foreign language instructor, I find it important to expand the question of “Who is a culturally competent educator?” to the following inquiry: “Who is a culturally competent second/foreign language teacher?” As Kramsch puts it, “despite the advances made by research in the spheres of the intercultural and the multicultural, language teaching is still operating on a relatively narrow conception of both language and culture. Language continues to be taught as a fixed system of formal structures and universal speech functions, a neutral conduit for the transmission of cultural knowledge.” She concludes that in the future the language teacher has to be defined “not only as the impresario of a certain linguistic performance but as the catalyst for an ever-widening critical cultural competence.”

In my present talk, I will shed light on how Hungarian culture is incorporated in our Colloquial Hungarian course book, providing particular examples from various dialogoues and cultural notes of the book. With the specific examples, I will underline the fact that “beyond knowing words and grammar, learning a language involves acquiring a role, and knowing how to act according to that social definition.” I firmly believe that linguistic competence, communicative competence, cultural competence are equally important parts of foreign language teaching and foreign language learning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_competence
http://www.opb.org/education/minisites/culturalcompetence/teachers.html
Kramsch, Claire. "The Cultural Component of Language.” In Language, Culture and Curriculum. London: Routledge. 2010, Volume 24.
Rounds, Carol H. & Erika Sólyom. Colloquial Hungarian. London: Routledge. 2011. 3rd edition.
Ogulnick, Karen. “Learning Language/Learning Self.” In Intercultural Discourse and Communication. Eds. Scott F. Kiesling & Christina Bratt Paulston. Oxford: Blackwell. 2005: 250-54.

The study aims to give a comprehensive view on the Hungarian language education of those living in the Hungarian Diaspora. Through the review of international literature the authors examine the situation and position of Hungarians living outside the borders and the preservation of their identity as well as the history of their language education and its current trends. As a case study of the identity preserving activities of Hungarian Diaspora, the authors introduce the community organising activities of Hungarian Diaspora living on the different continents, and their Hungarian language education with its advantages and problems as well. Besides this, the study compares an Australian, North-American and Latin-American school and their language education as well as the identity preserving activities of Hungarian Diaspora living there.

Nowadays more and more young people want to be entrepreneurs, but only a few of them are prepared enough to consider setting up and managing their own business as a realistic career option. The study covers the development of rhetoric and communication education in the past and seeks to demonstrate the current situation in Hungary. The Hungarian National Core Curriculum (NAT), revised in 2020, is based on the key competencies recommended by the European Union, but it also considers specific national conditions while defining general competencies across learning areas. Competencies of communication (mother tongue and foreign language), creativity (creative creation, self-expression and cultural awareness), employee, innovation and entrepreneurial competencies are all there among the key competencies of the Hungarian NAT2020.The study also demonstrates that deficiency in communication skills can mar the expertise in other skills and why it should be considered as an integral part of entrepreneurial skills. In order to obtain the required information, both a qualitative methodology and a quantitative approach were used. As rhetoric and communication skills play vital roles in entrepreneurs' success, the study seeks to restore rhetoric to the curriculum as an overarching and integrating theory for communication. The conclusion of the study is that it is essential for students to have contact with modern – on classical rhetoric studies based – communication theories in entrepreneurship education programs, since the aim of these is to instill and develop important personal characteristics that will be crucial for those wishing to become successful entrepreneurs.

At the centre of Brassai’s life-work, which influenced his whole life and his scientific work, was his research into the methodological principles of teaching. In his long life he was engaged in the sciences; he fought for education in the Hungarian language eagerly and successfully. Besides jurisprudence he was very good in almost every science; excellent linguist, natural scientist, philosopher, critic, mathematician, musician, teacher and headmaster, essay writer, university professor, and a regular member of the Academy of Sciences.
The presentation relies mainly on facts in the monographs about Brassai; on the contemporary periodical reviews and publications published in Kolozsvár; on the writings of Sámuel Brassai; on the documentary data, on the history of foreign-language teaching, on his influence at home and abroad, as well as on the development of the Direct Method and its methodological background.
His works had a great influence on the scientific life of our country. With his achievements, scientific researches, writings and teaching he contributed to the development and spread of the Hungarian culture and science. Sámuel Brassai’s teachings are so fundamental and deep that they are substantial even today for all Hungarians within and beyond borders.

A most memorable event in the history of the United States was the visit of Lajos Kossuth, leader of Hungary during the 1848-49 War of Liberation against the ruling Hapsburg dynasty. The renowned patriot toured the country as “the nation’s guest” from December 1851 to July 1852 seeking support to continue the struggle. He addressed vast crowds, spoke at banquets hosted by sundry groups, and met many of America’s leading public figures. Everyone was deeply impressed by his demeanor and sincerity as well as his superb command of the English language and spellbinding oratory. Popular enthusiasm, however, didn’t translate into any form of official help and a disappointed Kossuth returned to Europe, settling in England.

Numerous plaques and statues throughout the land recall Kossuth’s seven-month sojourn. He has also been honored by the U.S. Post Office; he is one of the individuals pictured in the Champion of Liberty series. Kossuth’s every step in America was closely followed by the press and interest in his activities did not cease with his departure. There is no shortage of information on Kossuth; biographies abound and he appears prominently in innumerable books.

While Kossuth did not remain in the United States, three of his sisters – Zsuzsa, Lujza and Emilia – and their families became permanent residents. Unlike Kossuth who has been accorded massive publicity, their lives have been chronicled far less. Even Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans well-versed with Kossuth and his deeds are often surprised to learn about these sisters or know very little about them. Indeed, several Hungarian writers refer to Kossuth’s sisters as his "nővérei", whereas in fact they were all younger than him and hence should be denoted as his "hugai".

Although their arrival in America was duly reported and they were given a cordial welcome, it was without the fanfare lavished upon Kossuth. Despite the aid rendered by generous Americans, the three sisters experienced great difficulties in adjusting to the new homeland and establishing a secure foothold. Their initial years in New York City were fraught with hardships and marred by a series of misfortunes and tragedies. The children – totaling nine – grew up Americanized but retained a strong awareness of their Hungarian heritage. Five of the nephews participated in the Civil War. Because four of them were officers in the so-called colored regiments, their names have been inscribed on the African-American Civil War memorial.

As years passed, the three families became dispersed, contact between family members diminished, and all of them lost touch with New York’s tiny Hungarian community. Consequently, a multitude of erroneous stories began to proliferate in the émigré folklore and literature, a phenomenon which persists to this very day. American commentaries have also contributed to the storehouse of incorrect statements.

The chief objective of this presentation is to give a succinct but thorough account of all members of the three Kossuth families. Facts employed to buttress the narrative were drawn from reliable sources after exhaustive research and careful assessment. The Kossuth sisters, like their illustrious brother, made considerable sacrifices for the sake of liberty and in behalf of their children. Their stories deserve to be told accurately.

My paper examines how the Nyugat review played an essential role in the development of literary and cultural modernism in early twentieth-century Hungary, with special attention paid to three of its writers – Margit Kaffka, Dezső Kosztolányi and Antal Szerb. Their influence is part of the most important cultural legacies of modernism within and outside Hungary. By telling the story of the Nyugat writers in English I consider my study a call for reworking models of literary and cultural history and for strengthening bridges of Hungarian studies overseas.

Freedom of speech is a fundamental value in our democracies on both sides of the Atlantic. However, its limits and restrictability are different in the USA and Europe. Those who engage in US public discourse will understand that free speech is the Alpha and the Omega of the system. On December 15, 1791, First Amendment was adopted, declaring that “Congress shall make no law respecting […], or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; […].” The European Convention on Human Rights narrowly defines the freedom of expression as follows: “1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive & impart information & ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This Article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises. 2. The exercise of these freedoms, [...], may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, [...] national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority & impartiality of the judiciary.” The concept of free speech is manifested in an entirely controversial manner. This opposite approach creates a grey zone for globally operating Big Tech corps.
Today, citizens have multiple platforms to express their opinion. They can reach the masses immediately. Even if our ways of free speech became wider than before, our vulnerability to unfair bans and abusive restrictions increased. However, free speech infringements could be executed only against state actors in the USA. Thus, all bans introduced by Big Tech are in a legal gap due to their privateness. Interestingly, in a country of continuous modernization, legal solutions' fundaments and main frames were petrified in the 18th century. While the European system tends to overregulate, apply narrow room for maneuvering, it later takes the burden on interpretators.
Summum ius, summa iniuria. Means: rigorous law is often rigorous injustice. A principle of Roman Law that provides much-needed flexibility for legislators and practitioners. To add one more twist, social media platforms advertise themselves as "digital public spheres," which raises the question of their legal evaluation. The presentation addresses the legal anomalies of the digital public sphere. One thing is sure: we should not wait until the freedom of speech turns into freedom from speech…

This is a presentation on my on-going archival project relating to Francis F. Dobo, his relationship to Hungarian photographers and his newly discovered archive of original works. Dobo was a lifelong friend and affiliated with noted Hungarian Street Photographers, Brassaï and André Kertész. During his early years in Paris, late 1920s to early 1930s, Dobo also befriended, writer and artist émigrés such as Ylla, Ergy Landau, Henri Nouveau, Paul Winkler, Lajos Tihanyi and Frederic Littman, as well as Composers Paul Arma and Tibor Harsányi. Eventually he formed a smaller, intimate clique with four of his closest friends, Novelist Henry Miller, Brassaï, Writer Alfred Perlés and Impressionist Painter Hans Reichel. It was also during this time that, as a Literary Agent, he was instrumental in the publication of the first works by French authors Céline and Raymond Queneau. I am currently mid-way through a project to archive the significant collection of never published correspondence, rare books, possibly unseen artworks, personal diaries and other materials. The present owner of the collection is Francis’ son, Michael Dobo.The presentation will discuss the life of Francis Dobo and the current state of the archival project, as well as share a selection of some of the most interesting findings to date.
Előadás magyarul.

The Life of László Hudec: In His Own Words
Documentary Film (26 min. 2011, Hungary)
Hungarian spoken with English subtitles.
Dir: Réka Pigniczky

László Ede Hugyecz (1893-1958) -- later L.E. Hudec -- was a Central European (Hungarian/Slovak) architect who fled the vicissitudes of Europe in the early 20th century, taking with him the style and knowledge of European building design and construction. His work – spanning nearly 30 years of Shanghai’s economic and cultural ‘glory days’ – includes the first skyscraper from London to Tokyo.

In 2008 new archive materials – including original letters, photos and 16mm film – surfaced from his descendants in Hungary and the U.S. These archives paint a complex and thinking man living at the crossroads between Europe and China. The new archive materials reveal the man behind the architect that even his children barely knew.

Through their testimony, through his incredible film footage, and through our research of his footsteps, his story gives an extraordinary inside look at the first rush of Europeans to China, of its first modernization (skyscrapers!), and of the turmoil of the 20th century. A perspective all the more fascinating that, today, once again, China looks like the new El Dorado.