Building a National Diaspora: the Kádár Regime and Hungarian Communities in North America

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Abstract (max. 250 words):
National governments often see their respective diasporas as strategic political assets. The successive Hungarian regimes—including the country’s World War II authoritarian leadership and postwar communist dictatorship—were no exceptions. In many instances, the more underdeveloped and poverty-stricken the home country, and the more dramatic a recent regime change has been, the more likely it is that the government will place a heavy emphasis on exerting political influence over its diaspora. Countries with sizeable diaspora populations and the need to improve their fledgling regime’s image abroad make political use of their diaspora populations.

This paper explores Hungary's relationship with its diaspora population in North America during the Kádár regime, and examines how Budapest attempted to build what political scientists frequently refer to as "governmentality" within Hungarian communities in Canada and the United States.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Christopher Adam earned his B.A. (Honours) in History from Concordia University, an M.A. degree in East/Central European and Russian Area Studies, and a PhD in History from the University of Ottawa. He teaches history at Carleton University.