History/Political Science paper by Gazsó, Dániel
Hungary’s Diaspora Engagement Practices (Accepted)
Type of Abstract (select):Abstract (max. 250 words):
In the first half of my presentation I will analyze the development of the expanded diaspora politics of Hungary on four levels: 1) at the level of legislation; 2) at the level of decisions-making bodies and consultative forums; 3) at the level of financial support, and 4) at the level of specific programs. In reference to the latter, I will examine the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Program (KCSP), which was initiated in 2013. Every year with this program the government sends 50–150 grantees to different parts of the world, to assist diaspora organizations. For a deeper understanding of this program, I carried out a survey research about the activities of the KCSP grantees of two successive years (2016–2017 and 2017–2018). From their responses it has been possible to conclude which activities provided more and which ones provide less importance in the diaspora communities dispersed all around the world.
In the second half of my presentation I will present the results of another research project focused on the Hungarian diaspora’s organizational life. The target group of the research consisted of the leaders of those diaspora organizations, which are members of the Hungarian Diaspora Council. The questionnaire dealt with three issues: 1) the organization’s characteristics, local conditions and opportunities; 2) regional networks and contacts; and 3) relationship with the kin-state. The latter issue is related to how Hungary’s diaspora engagement practices—analyzed in the first half of my presentation—are received by the affected diaspora communities.
Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Dániel Gazsó was born in 1984 in Budapest, Hungary. He completed his studies in social and cultural anthropology at the University of Granada in Spain. Since 2015 he is a research fellow at the Research Institute for Hungarian Communities Abroad (NPKI), and since 2018 he is also a lecturer at the Faculty of Public Governance and International Studies of the National University of Public Service in Budapest. He is co-editor of the social science journals Kisebbségi Szemle and Hungarian Journal of Minority Studies. His research topics are concerned with national minorities, interethnic relations, nationalism, kin-state policies, migration and diaspora studies.