Past Abstracts
1,037 abstracts found
Balogh Edit kárpitművész Szálvetés című monográfiája és a Magyar Kárpitművészek Egyesületének tevékenysége (Book)
Cultural Studies/ArtsElőadásomban a Balogh Edit Ferenczy Noémi-díjas kárpitművész teljes oeuvre-jét felölelő Szálvetés című, 2023 decemberében megjelent könyvemet szeretném bemutatni. Balogh Edit a kolozsvári Ion Andrescu Képző- és Iparművészeti Főiskola falikárpit- és szőnyegtervező szakán diplomázott, 1986-tól Magyarországon él és alkot. Amellett, hogy jelentős egyéni művészi életművet hozott létre, 2011-től a Magyar Kárpitművészek Egyesülete vezetője is. Balogh Edit művészi életművének középpontjában a fénymisztika áll. Amellett hogy haute lisse technikával klasszikus gobelineket is készít, szívesen kísérletezik fémszálakkal és világító ledszálakkal, illetve olyan szövéstechnikai kísérletekkel, amelyek a transzcendens tapasztalások hol szimbolikus, hol absztrakt reprezentációjára törekszenek. A prezentáció bőséges képanyaggal illusztrálva mutatja be be a művész életútjának legfontosabb fordulópontjait a történelmi és kárpitművészeti környezet kontextusában illetve kitekintésszerűen utal a magyar Kárpitművészek Egyesülete több mint 25 éves tevékenységére, annak jelentős tagjainak munkásságára, mintegy megrajzolva a kortárs magyar kárpitművészek tablóját is vázlatosan.
Bartók and Kodály’s Transylvania, as Reflected in their Piano Works
Music/FolkloreBartók and Kodály’s oeuvre and their wide production of works using folk music had not only made transriptions of Folk music grow in scope and gain international exposure, but also became the most powerful tool in the formation of 20th century Hungarian national identity.
19th century music reform, identified as Hungarian: the verbunkos style, the csardas dance-style, later called „fabricated” by Kodály; 20th century: back to folk music roots, the authentic Hungarian and more widely: Carpathian basin peasant music tradition. Bartók and Kodály’s folklorism: the reinforcement of national feelings.
Transylvania: the Eastern part of Hungary, Western part of Romania, the common land of two nations: the fairy land, where they could still find the ancient folk song types and scales. As collectors, they divided their work as follows: Kodály researched Hungarian folk music in Hungary and neighbouring countries (Romania, Slovakia), seeking the origin of Hungarians and their music; while Bartók was a pioneer collector of not only Hungarian, but other nation’s folk music as well. Bartók never spoke about his „nation’s” folk music, but always about his „homeland’s peasant music. His ideal was to establish a larger-scale, Carpathian-basin musical dialect.
19th century music reform, identified as Hungarian: the verbunkos style, the csardas dance-style, later called „fabricated” by Kodály; 20th century: back to folk music roots, the authentic Hungarian and more widely: Carpathian basin peasant music tradition. Bartók and Kodály’s folklorism: the reinforcement of national feelings.
Transylvania: the Eastern part of Hungary, Western part of Romania, the common land of two nations: the fairy land, where they could still find the ancient folk song types and scales. As collectors, they divided their work as follows: Kodály researched Hungarian folk music in Hungary and neighbouring countries (Romania, Slovakia), seeking the origin of Hungarians and their music; while Bartók was a pioneer collector of not only Hungarian, but other nation’s folk music as well. Bartók never spoke about his „nation’s” folk music, but always about his „homeland’s peasant music. His ideal was to establish a larger-scale, Carpathian-basin musical dialect.
Bartók, Communist Propaganda, and the Ban on Musical Works under Rákosi
Music/FolkloreThe regime of Hungarian Communist leader Mátyás Rákosi (1948-1956) has drawn scrutiny and ultimately denunciation from nearly all sectors of academic research. In music, the ban on works viewed by the Communist Party as socially, politically, or morally transgressive has been taken as incontrovertible historical fact and an indictment of the party’s politico-aesthetic program. The most egregious example cited of this practice was the case of The Miraculous Mandarin by Hungary’s preeminent musical ambassador Béla Bartók. Historians point to Géza Losonczy’s 1950 article “The Opera House Belongs to the People!” published in the party’s paper Szabad Nép as launching a campaign against Bartók and signaling the freeze of Hungary’s music culture, one that would take a revolution to thaw.
But closer examination complicates this account as well as the accepted notions of unbridled political terror and authoritarian artistic suppression. In this paper, I examine the shortcomings of the totalitarian narrative built up around the era’s musical politics through analysis of Losonczy’s article and the artistic policies it advances. I also draw from and contribute to the substantial literature on Bartók’s pantomime to argue that there was some validity to the Communists’ objections to the work. This study thus advocates for a nuanced historical inquiry that problematizes some of the calcified Cold War conceptions that have erected (often artificial) binaries—such as art/propaganda, freeze/thaw, freedom/oppression, sanctioned/banned—that serve to delimit and police the discursive field of this charged period in Hungary’s history.
But closer examination complicates this account as well as the accepted notions of unbridled political terror and authoritarian artistic suppression. In this paper, I examine the shortcomings of the totalitarian narrative built up around the era’s musical politics through analysis of Losonczy’s article and the artistic policies it advances. I also draw from and contribute to the substantial literature on Bartók’s pantomime to argue that there was some validity to the Communists’ objections to the work. This study thus advocates for a nuanced historical inquiry that problematizes some of the calcified Cold War conceptions that have erected (often artificial) binaries—such as art/propaganda, freeze/thaw, freedom/oppression, sanctioned/banned—that serve to delimit and police the discursive field of this charged period in Hungary’s history.
Bartók’s Lost Interpretive Style and Its Continuity Through Irén Marik
Music/FolkloreAn examination of field recordings made on cylinders by Bartók and how the songs and instrumental works became parts of his own compositions.
As few other than Bartók could play them with such a background, it came as a surprise to discover Irén Marik, a pupil of the composer's, who approaches Bartók's own pianism closer than anyone else. We will hear how both capture a musical language whose style could only have been transmitted as an oral tradition, displaying how music notation is secondary to the concept of sound and how it represents its origins.
As few other than Bartók could play them with such a background, it came as a surprise to discover Irén Marik, a pupil of the composer's, who approaches Bartók's own pianism closer than anyone else. We will hear how both capture a musical language whose style could only have been transmitted as an oral tradition, displaying how music notation is secondary to the concept of sound and how it represents its origins.
Based on Hungarian Innovation, CogniStory Approach that Builds Number Sense Before Notation
Education/Social SciencesCogniPlay represents an innovative educational approach that bridges playful exploration, adaptive technology, and structured pedagogy to support cognitive, emotional, and physical development through an interdisciplinary methodology. Developed by Hungarian innovators and researched and tested in both Hungary and the United States, CogniPlay is designed to turn students’ lived experiences and intuitive knowledge—gained through carefully designed games and gameplay—into transferable, explicit knowledge.
CogniPlay comprises eight specialized subdomains: PlayMath, PlayScience, PlayWords, PlayArt, PlayCraft, PlaySocial, and PlayAbility (within the broader CogniPlay ecosystem). The framework combines physical and digital activities to create a hybrid learning environment that is engaging yet instructionally purposeful.
A unique feature is the integration of a monthly cognitive testing system and a continuous cognitive development platform. Standardized, computer-based cognitive tests assess abilities such as memory, attention, and problem-solving, generating actionable insights for educators to refine instruction and address individual needs. While AI supports personalized task assignment, teachers remain central in curating content, orchestrating group dynamics, and fostering meaningful human interaction. CogniPlay thus offers a scalable, data-driven model that aligns best practices of traditional pedagogy with modern technological innovation.
CogniPlay comprises eight specialized subdomains: PlayMath, PlayScience, PlayWords, PlayArt, PlayCraft, PlaySocial, and PlayAbility (within the broader CogniPlay ecosystem). The framework combines physical and digital activities to create a hybrid learning environment that is engaging yet instructionally purposeful.
A unique feature is the integration of a monthly cognitive testing system and a continuous cognitive development platform. Standardized, computer-based cognitive tests assess abilities such as memory, attention, and problem-solving, generating actionable insights for educators to refine instruction and address individual needs. While AI supports personalized task assignment, teachers remain central in curating content, orchestrating group dynamics, and fostering meaningful human interaction. CogniPlay thus offers a scalable, data-driven model that aligns best practices of traditional pedagogy with modern technological innovation.
Basic Dance Motifs of Hungarian Folk Dances: How to Teach them with a Constructive Folkdance-methodology.
Music/FolkloreThe Hungarian folk dances basic smallest forms are called motifs (by György Martin). These forms content different rhythm, space, dynamics and aesthetics. But the folklore researchers in the past collect many of motifs from different dance types and forms from the different „performers” from the traditional villages. The biggest problem is nobody gave answer for that question how can we „translate” today's folkdancers - especially for the children's tuition - in the teaching methodology the motifs with all characters above. My presentation and workshop shows one of possible way to understand the basic motifs and presentation facilities.
Bátran éltem idáig …. Szabó Magda
Language/LiteratureAz ajtó című regény a nagysikerű író, Szabó Magda tán nemzetközileg legismertebb műve. Párizsban 2003-ban Femina díjat kapott s Amerikában is megismerhette az olvasó közönség több angolnyelv? átültetésben is.
Előadásomban a mű főszereplőinek nagy dilemmáival kívánok foglalkozni. Azokkal, amelyek közül tán az írónő házvezetőnője, Emerenc fogalmazza meg egyszerűen a legalapvetőbbet:
„Nagyobbat nem adhat az ember senkinek, minthogy nem enged neki módot a szenvedésre.”
Ha ízlelgetjük a kulcsszavakat: Szabó Magda, kereszténység, XX. század, méltóság, kötelesség, bizalom… Elgondolkodtató, mi az az érzelem, ami e között a két ember – Emerenc és az Írónő – között kialakul? Mi az a pogány szenvedély, amivel a klasszika-filológiában és a kereszténységben ugyanolyan mélyen hívő Szabó Magda a művében összeköti őket, őket, akiknek tulajdonképpen semmi közük nincs egymáshoz? Egyike sem a hagyományos kapcsolatoknak, melyekhez az európai irodalom – és saját kapcsolati hálónk – hozzá szoktatott bennünket: nem barátság, nem bajtársiasság, nem kollegialitás, nem szerelem, nem a vérrokonság megtartó ereje. Ez valami más. Valami ősibb. Valami barbárabb. Megszeretik egymást. Váratlanul, okok és előjelek nélkül. Olyan példaértékű ez a kapcsolat, hogy idéznünk kell mit mondott Ruth Naóminak:
,,ahova te mégy, oda megyek, és ahol te megszállsz, ott szállok meg; néped az én népem, és Istened az én Istenem. Ahol te meghalsz, ott halok meg, ott temessenek el engem is. Úgy tegyen velem az Úr akármit, hogy csak a halál választ el engem tőled.” (Ruth1:16-17)
Két ember ismerkedésének történetében az "antropológiai talányok" a mindennemű kapcsolatokban örökké nyitva maradó kérdések vagy éppen a rájuk adott rossz válaszok ott rejlenek a műben s úgy gondolom, hogy a 100 éve született Szabó Magda életművének ez a reprezentáns műve a mai 21. századi ember számára is tanúságtétel.
Előadásomban a mű főszereplőinek nagy dilemmáival kívánok foglalkozni. Azokkal, amelyek közül tán az írónő házvezetőnője, Emerenc fogalmazza meg egyszerűen a legalapvetőbbet:
„Nagyobbat nem adhat az ember senkinek, minthogy nem enged neki módot a szenvedésre.”
Ha ízlelgetjük a kulcsszavakat: Szabó Magda, kereszténység, XX. század, méltóság, kötelesség, bizalom… Elgondolkodtató, mi az az érzelem, ami e között a két ember – Emerenc és az Írónő – között kialakul? Mi az a pogány szenvedély, amivel a klasszika-filológiában és a kereszténységben ugyanolyan mélyen hívő Szabó Magda a művében összeköti őket, őket, akiknek tulajdonképpen semmi közük nincs egymáshoz? Egyike sem a hagyományos kapcsolatoknak, melyekhez az európai irodalom – és saját kapcsolati hálónk – hozzá szoktatott bennünket: nem barátság, nem bajtársiasság, nem kollegialitás, nem szerelem, nem a vérrokonság megtartó ereje. Ez valami más. Valami ősibb. Valami barbárabb. Megszeretik egymást. Váratlanul, okok és előjelek nélkül. Olyan példaértékű ez a kapcsolat, hogy idéznünk kell mit mondott Ruth Naóminak:
,,ahova te mégy, oda megyek, és ahol te megszállsz, ott szállok meg; néped az én népem, és Istened az én Istenem. Ahol te meghalsz, ott halok meg, ott temessenek el engem is. Úgy tegyen velem az Úr akármit, hogy csak a halál választ el engem tőled.” (Ruth1:16-17)
Két ember ismerkedésének történetében az "antropológiai talányok" a mindennemű kapcsolatokban örökké nyitva maradó kérdések vagy éppen a rájuk adott rossz válaszok ott rejlenek a műben s úgy gondolom, hogy a 100 éve született Szabó Magda életművének ez a reprezentáns műve a mai 21. századi ember számára is tanúságtétel.
Becoming NET SMART – Dos and Don’ts in Teaching International Joint Courses
Education/Social SciencesKnowing how to make use of online tools without being overloaded with too much information is an essential ingredient to personal and professional success in the 21st Century. Delivering different class contents to our students online has increased dramatically during the last decade. Universities have entered the online education market in order to satisfy the growing demand of their students as well as to face their existing and growing financial and facility constraints. In pursue of happiness for both consumers (students) and employers (universities), educators jumped worldwide willingly on an intriguing new method of teaching: joint courses. This teaching method does not only incorporate the latest (video)technology into our teaching – highly appreciated by universities – but also ‘brings the world into the classroom’ by connecting students from different countries to work together on projects, case studies, or discuss current issues in any field. The joint course method can be very beneficial for teaching a wide variety of subject matters: Hungarian language, history, management, or sports. Knowledge as well as classrooms turned borderless at the beginning of the 21st Century!
But the question remained the same: how to use the new social and digital media tools intelligently, humanely, mindfully, and above all ethically? Several books and academic articles discuss the advantages of distance learning and online education but none of them addresses the legal and ethical issues of this method of academic collaboration between professors and universities. These issues are growing in number namely, related to intellectual property and copyright, right to participation and access to materials, or ethics of academic online/distance learning collaborations just name a few. After teaching joint courses between the US and Hungary for a couple of years this presentation overviews our experiences and addresses questions such as: What should be asked (contracted) clearly before we enter into a commitment to teach an international joint course? What are our expectations as educators? What is there in for our students? How should future international joint course development benefit for past practices?
But the question remained the same: how to use the new social and digital media tools intelligently, humanely, mindfully, and above all ethically? Several books and academic articles discuss the advantages of distance learning and online education but none of them addresses the legal and ethical issues of this method of academic collaboration between professors and universities. These issues are growing in number namely, related to intellectual property and copyright, right to participation and access to materials, or ethics of academic online/distance learning collaborations just name a few. After teaching joint courses between the US and Hungary for a couple of years this presentation overviews our experiences and addresses questions such as: What should be asked (contracted) clearly before we enter into a commitment to teach an international joint course? What are our expectations as educators? What is there in for our students? How should future international joint course development benefit for past practices?
Before Wallenberg: Dr. Géza Soos and the Halting of the Deportations
History/Political ScienceAfter the famous Raoul Wallenberg arrived in Budapest on July 9th, 1944, one of the first persons he arranged to meet for orientation was Dr. Géza Soos. This is not surprising if we consider that, according to recently available documents, both men had been in close contact with American officials in Sweden (including the OSS, the predecessor to the CIA). Efforts to recruit and support both Soos and Wallenberg had to do with the lack of information about Hungary after its invasion by the Germans on March 19th, 1944.
Much research has been available about the rescue work of Wallenberg, but very little about Soos, a leading member of the secret MFM (the Hungarian Independence Movement), involved in efforts to help Jews. Soos acquired, first of all, a copy of the Auschwitz Report of Vrba and Wetzler, which he then smuggled into the hands of influential Hungarian leaders, including Regent Horthy. Documents suggest that Soos and his network were instrumental in uncovering a plot to carry out the deportation of the Budapest Jews, thereby defying Regent Horthy. This discovery provided the basis for the decisive action by Ferenc Koszorus, who entered the city with his tank division and halted the planned deportation. It is noteworthy that this occurred only a few days before Wallenberg’s arrival in the capital. In fact, the initiatives of Soos were necessary preconditions for the success of Wallenberg’s rescue efforts.
Much research has been available about the rescue work of Wallenberg, but very little about Soos, a leading member of the secret MFM (the Hungarian Independence Movement), involved in efforts to help Jews. Soos acquired, first of all, a copy of the Auschwitz Report of Vrba and Wetzler, which he then smuggled into the hands of influential Hungarian leaders, including Regent Horthy. Documents suggest that Soos and his network were instrumental in uncovering a plot to carry out the deportation of the Budapest Jews, thereby defying Regent Horthy. This discovery provided the basis for the decisive action by Ferenc Koszorus, who entered the city with his tank division and halted the planned deportation. It is noteworthy that this occurred only a few days before Wallenberg’s arrival in the capital. In fact, the initiatives of Soos were necessary preconditions for the success of Wallenberg’s rescue efforts.
Being Hungarian in America: 37 interviews about the current state of the Hungarian diaspora and its future prospects in North America (Book)
Cultural Studies/ArtsOur family moved from Budapest to the United States in 2022 because of my husband’s job. Being a freelance journalist, I quickly started conducting interviews with Hungarians living in New Jersey and later on across North America about their past and present, the joys and difficulties of their daily lives, the preservation and transmission of their cultural heritage – providing a broad picture of the current state of the Hungarian diaspora and its future prospects in North America. Thirty-seven of these interviews were selected for inclusion in the first volume of my book titled Being Hungarian in America. The list of selected pieces include interviews with former or current leaders and representatives of various Hungarian (Catholic and Reformed) churches and associations (Hungarian scouts, weekend schools and summer camps, clubs, folk dance and folk traditions groups); as well as with a businessman and a Hungarian radio executive, the latter also being the publisher of the book. The perseverance and active community involvement of Hungarian Americans – guaranteeing the survival of their communities – can serve as a multiple role model, inspiration and affirmation for all of us. Their life stories are not only interesting and valuable, but also offer an authentic Hungarian American chronicle of the various waves of immigration, as well as proof that the only guarantee of survival is the preservation and cultivation of the Hungarian language, the culture and the traditions both at the family and at the community level, as well as the close cooperation between the Hungarian American organizations.
The presentation will be in Hungarian.
The presentation will be in Hungarian.
Béla Bartók’s Piano Concerto no. 1: Corrected First-Edition Scores and the Concerto’s Performance and Publication History
Music/FolkloreBartók’s early performances of his Piano Concerto no. 1 (1926) in both Europe and the United States were hampered by issues in the first-edition score. As a result, on a few major concerts, most notably for Bartók’s American debut with the New York Philharmonic, the Concerto was replaced by Bartók’s Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra (1905), a work that was not representative of his more mature style. Although Bartók later acknowledged the Piano Concerto’s difficulty for players and audiences alike, the mistakes in the first edition also affected the success of his early performances, as well as the critical reception of Bartók’s music. Corrections of the errors mentioned above appear not only in the second-edition score, but also as handwritten entries made by at least two hands in the three extant first-edition scores, two of which are recently discovered scores associated with the conductor Fritz Reiner. This paper establishes the link of the three extant first editions to Bartók’s performances with two major American orchestras in 1928—Fritz Reiner and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Furthermore, it documents the nature of the corrections as they relate to one another, to Bartók’s corrections, and to the published second edition. Since no recording of the work with the composer at the piano is known to survive, analysis of the scores used by Reiner and Koussevitzky in performances with Bartók provides an important window into the way Bartók performed his Piano Concerto no. 1.
Béla Tarr and the Past and Future of Hungarian National Cinema
Cultural Studies/ArtsCinema studies in Hungary have expanded and diversified significantly in the last 25 years. What seems to have remained constant however is the analytical framework that defines Hungarian cinema in terms of a self-contained national tradition and places it within the cultural project of nation building. For instance, very little has been said about Hungarian films’ transnational circulation and reception or about the impact of the global flow of visual culture on Hungarian cinema. Does the idea of a Hungarian national cinema make sense in the post-1989 political and economic reality defined by European integration and a heavily globalized media culture? And if yes, how do we describe what “national” means? In other words, what did “Hungarian cinema” mean in the socialist era and what significance does the notion have today for film fans around the world?
Béla Tarr’s oevre will serve as a case study to demonstrate that Hungarian cinema can maintain its intensely local character, while also gain supranational relevance under dramatically changed global production, distribution and reception practices. Looking at Tarr’s geopolitical landscapes, this paper will argue that his films’ seamlessly intersect the politically poignant critique of Hungary’s late socialist reality with an existentialist meditation over human imperfection. The harsh landscape of the Hungarian countryside anchors the characters’ lives in an intensely material way. The crumbling walls, relentless rain, and flat, dreary landscape could not be more concrete and tangible. Yet, the overwhelming images of decay and isolation are also symbolic of the transience and eternal passing of everything man-made. The continuous oscillation between these two interpretative dimensions: the universal and the local, the abstract and the concrete, the atemporal and the historically specific makes Tarr’s movies prime examples of how Hungarian cinema can prevail in the rapidly changing global film culture.
Béla Tarr’s oevre will serve as a case study to demonstrate that Hungarian cinema can maintain its intensely local character, while also gain supranational relevance under dramatically changed global production, distribution and reception practices. Looking at Tarr’s geopolitical landscapes, this paper will argue that his films’ seamlessly intersect the politically poignant critique of Hungary’s late socialist reality with an existentialist meditation over human imperfection. The harsh landscape of the Hungarian countryside anchors the characters’ lives in an intensely material way. The crumbling walls, relentless rain, and flat, dreary landscape could not be more concrete and tangible. Yet, the overwhelming images of decay and isolation are also symbolic of the transience and eternal passing of everything man-made. The continuous oscillation between these two interpretative dimensions: the universal and the local, the abstract and the concrete, the atemporal and the historically specific makes Tarr’s movies prime examples of how Hungarian cinema can prevail in the rapidly changing global film culture.
Béla Zsolt, the Last Chronicler of the Hungarian-Jewish Assimilated Bourgeoisie
Cultural Studies/ArtsZsolt Béla, a leftist journalist and one of the most prolific writers of the interwar period, was as a typical coffeehouse figure (polgári kavéházi író), who today is known primarily for his Kilenc Koffer (1946), one of the very earliest memoirs of the Hungarian Holocaust. In this paper I focus rather on his literary works written between the mid-twenties and thirties, with particular emphasis on his only novella collection, Polgári házasság (1935), in the context of the sociocultural and political discourse in interwar Hungary. This collection, which has received no critical attention to date, illustrates all the themes that preoccupied Zsolt throughout his oeuvre, principally his pessimistic and merciless inside criticism of the empoverished Jewish petit bourgeoisie of Erzsébetváros as well as of the ridiculous pretensions of the upwardly mobile Jews who attempt to mimic the mores of a hostile semi-feudal gentile society. Ultimately, Zsolt’s work is centered in the tragic irony of the ideological illusions of assimilation, for which he foresaw a tragic outcome, as few others were able (or willing) to see.
Béla Zsolt’s <i>A királynő családja</i> [The (Beauty) Queen’s Family] (1932) In the Context of His Literary Oeuvre
Cultural Studies/ArtsZsolt Bela, a leftist bourgeois journalist, was also a prolific novelist and playwright, who in his literary work wrote sharp insider criticism of the pretentions of the Hungarian Jewish petite bourgeoisie. After the war his oeuvre totally fell out of favor and today he is known, if at all, for his 1946 Holocaust memoir, Kilenc koffer [Nine Suitcases]. In 1929 when Böske Simon, daughter of a provincial Jewish doctor, made headlines by winning the very first Miss Magyarország/Hungaria title, and later the Miss Europa title, Zsolt extolled her in the Magyar hirlap as representing the most perfect European beauty ideal in whom were combined features of the Western Latin-German and the Eastern Slav-Levant. Yet three years later he was to publish A királynő családja [The Queen's Family] (1932), in its first part a barely masked recounting of Simon's pageant experiences, cribbed from the pages of Szinházi élet. But as the "család" of the title indicates, in the novel Zsolt also provides the insipid beauty queen with a family with social pretensions, allowing for the broader socio-cultural exposé of life in interwar provincial Hungary and Budapest. In this study I will discuss the connection of the novel to actual historical events, highlighting in particular its descriptions of rapid urban modernization and commercialization in Budapest, aspects not commented on in the sketchy criticism devoted to it, either at the time of the work's publication, or to date.
Better than Ever? Conceptualizing Hungarian–Serbian Historical Reconciliation
History/Political ScienceIn the past decade, political relations between Hungary and Serbia have significantly developed. The political reconciliation, often described by Hungarian politicians as a historic momentum, has had spill-over effects into strategic policy fields, including foreign trade and investment. This presentation aims to examine the added value of political reconciliation by exploring its spill-over effects and societal aspects. It argues that although the excellent leader-to-leader relationship is the backbone of cooperation, the ever-changing geopolitical situation in Central and Southeast Europe and shared challenges have heightened the need to cooperate. On the other hand, while political reconciliation has led to strong economic cooperation, societal relations between Vojvodina Hungarians and Serbs have not experienced the same level of improvement, as the lack of trust among communities still persists.
Between Conformity and Resistance: Jewish Reactions to the White Terror.
History/Political ScienceThe presentation looks at the reaction of the neologue community to paramilitary and mob violence between 1919 and 1921. Earlier scholars have described Jewish leaders as subservient and their actions as ineffective; they also portrayed the Jewish masses as passive during both the Red and White Terrors. On the basis of primary documents, summaries of parliamentary speeches, newspaper articles and contemporary jokes, the presentation seeks to revise this one-sided and, in my opinion, unfair picture. It argues that Jewish leaders displayed courage in the time of crisis, and that their policies bore at least partial results (end of the White Terror). The presentation also shows that the Jewish masses were far from passive in this period; while armed resistance was also not uncommon, Hungarian Jews used a wide range of techniques, from newspaper campaigns to court appeals to marginalize their enemies, diffuse hatred and restore trust between Jews and Gentiles. That their attempts were only partially successful was not the result of a lack of Jewish will, courage and talent; they failed because their enemies were too powerful and everything, from social to economic and cultural developments, worked against them.
Between East and West: Serb and Hungarian Modernism During the Fin de Siècle
Language/LiteratureThe journalist and “poet laureate” of Hungarian modernism, Endre Ady (1877-1919), was the first to distinguish between the idea of a rebellious, “Asian nomadic” mentality and Hungary’s cultural backwardness within the concept of “Hungarianness.” Inspired by Ady’s transmission of Western culture, the expressionist Serb author and poet, Miloš Crnjanski (1893-1977), similarly sought to reconcile the Orthodox Serb Church’s stance with aspects of Western culture. The aim of this lecture is to demonstrate how Ady and Hungarian modernism influenced Serb literature at a time when both cultures found themselves at a crossroads and took the third route of preserving those Eastern traditions that proved compatible with progressive, Western values instead of choosing either East or West. It is therefore no surprise that Ady and the Hungarian age of reform provided a reference point for Veljko Petrović (1884-1967) and Miloš Crnjanski when they formulated their ideas regarding this “third route,” a venture during which Serb authors would “shoulder to shoulder” with Hungarian authors. Endre Ady’s influence also led Serb authors to experience a deepening of their identity that in turn reaffirmed their commitment to modernism. This latter process was greatly enhanced by the translation of modern Serb poetry into Hungarian, a factor that enabled Serb modernism to turn toward the West, yet still maintain its Eastern traditions.
Between Hungarian and Hebrew: The Poetic and the Political in Avigdor Hameiri’s Translation, of Imre Madách’s play, Az ember tragédiája
Language/LiteratureThe first Hebrew translation of the canonical nineteenth-century Hungarian play Az ember tragédiája (The tragedy of Man) by Imre Madách appeared In 1924, by Avigdor Hameiri (Feuerstein) and was acknowledged by the Hungarian Academy . Hameiri (1886– Austro-Hungarian Empire, 1970 - Israel), the most important representative of Hungarian Jewry Israeli writer, was one of the first modernists in the Hebrew culture, influenced by Ady Endre his personal friend. In 1968 Hameiri was awarded the Israel Prize, the state’s highest honor.
Hameiri’s transposition of a work of Hungarian culture to the Hebrew language, which was undergoing a revival, took place while he was consolidating his Hebrew-Zionist identity, which was characterized by what postcolonialism would term hybridity, because he also identified with Hungarian culture and was torn between the two. His translation in a biblical style attempts to transform the work into an almost original Hebrew work so as to create a symbolic fusion of the two cultures, as happened in the consciousness of the translator and also like that defined theoretically in Walter Benjamin’s “The Task of the Translator.” In Hameiri’s translation of the title, he changed the word meaning “tragedy” to a word meaning “vision.” This paper suggests reasons for this change.
Hameiri’s transposition of a work of Hungarian culture to the Hebrew language, which was undergoing a revival, took place while he was consolidating his Hebrew-Zionist identity, which was characterized by what postcolonialism would term hybridity, because he also identified with Hungarian culture and was torn between the two. His translation in a biblical style attempts to transform the work into an almost original Hebrew work so as to create a symbolic fusion of the two cultures, as happened in the consciousness of the translator and also like that defined theoretically in Walter Benjamin’s “The Task of the Translator.” In Hameiri’s translation of the title, he changed the word meaning “tragedy” to a word meaning “vision.” This paper suggests reasons for this change.
Between Mind and Body: Decoding Illness in Karinthy’s ‘Journey Around My Skull’
Language/LiteratureMy presentation examines the portrayal of illness in Frigyes Karinthy's "Journey Around My Skull." It delves into the metaphorization of the tumor, exploring how the novel intertwines the experience of illness with existential and philosophical themes. The study also considers the impact of narrative structure and intertextual references, demonstrating how they enhance the overall depiction of illness and its impact on the protagonist's physical and mental state. Through this analysis, the paper argues that Karinthy's work not only narrates an illness but also offers significant insights into the existential impact of physical ailments on personal identity and perception of reality, thereby making a notable contribution to the literature on illness narratives.
Beyond Borders – Art as a Catalyst
Cultural Studies/ArtsDistinctly dissident under Communist rule, experimental art, served as a cultural
barometer in Hungary throughout the years of oppression. In the face of adversity and
political repression, many of the artists have continued to produce, stimulating, dynamic
and often provocative work. While production was tolerated exhibitions were disallowed
particularly abroad. When in 1984, Laszlo Révész and Andras Böröcz, two young
Hungarian artists toured across Canada presenting Hungarian experimental artwork, the
tour marked the first milestone of contemporary Hungarian-Canadian art exchanges since
the Second World War. I was the lucky curator of this touring project as well as the
Beyond Borders, Hungarian Video Art from the late 1980 compilation of experimental
videos for the Free Worlds: Metaphors and Realities in Contemporary Hungarian Art
exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1991. The cultural exchange continued in 1993
at the Budapest Spring Festival with the extensive Welcome Canada program. In addition
to concerts and lectures we have shown the experimental films of Michael Snow and
others and the first Canadian First Nation film program. The comprehensive Canadian-
Hungarian art-exchange is outside the scope of this presentation this is only a bird’s eye
view narrative based on my personal experience from those years.
barometer in Hungary throughout the years of oppression. In the face of adversity and
political repression, many of the artists have continued to produce, stimulating, dynamic
and often provocative work. While production was tolerated exhibitions were disallowed
particularly abroad. When in 1984, Laszlo Révész and Andras Böröcz, two young
Hungarian artists toured across Canada presenting Hungarian experimental artwork, the
tour marked the first milestone of contemporary Hungarian-Canadian art exchanges since
the Second World War. I was the lucky curator of this touring project as well as the
Beyond Borders, Hungarian Video Art from the late 1980 compilation of experimental
videos for the Free Worlds: Metaphors and Realities in Contemporary Hungarian Art
exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1991. The cultural exchange continued in 1993
at the Budapest Spring Festival with the extensive Welcome Canada program. In addition
to concerts and lectures we have shown the experimental films of Michael Snow and
others and the first Canadian First Nation film program. The comprehensive Canadian-
Hungarian art-exchange is outside the scope of this presentation this is only a bird’s eye
view narrative based on my personal experience from those years.
