The Institute of Economics at PPKE BTK is organizing a conference on January 23 entitled The Political Role of the Hungarian Aristocracy between the Two World Wars. Our colleague, Tamás Gusztáv Filep, will also be speaking at the conference. The title of his presentation is Legitimists in the Lager.

The National Self-Government of Germans in Hungary is organizing a conference on January 20, 2026, in connection with the deportation of Germans from Hungary that began 80 years ago. Our colleagues Ágnes Tóth and András Morauszki will also give presentations at the conference.

The titles of their presentations are:

Ágnes Tóth: The position of Hungarian political parties, the Potsdam legend, the government decree on expulsion (deportation)

András Morauszki: The identity of Germans in Hungary today as reflected in the census

Venue and time: MTA Headquarters, 1051 Budapest, Széchenyi István tér 9., January 20, 2026, 10:00 a.m.

An essay by our colleague Csilla Fedinec in Jelen.

Few European literatures have attempted not only to depict their own countries, but also to conceptualize them. From the 19th century onwards, Russian literature did not simply reflect Russia: it became a platform for interpreting existence, historical vocation, and national self-image. The works not only attempted to understand the country, but also—often unknowingly—created and then destroyed the ideological foundations of the country's self-image. Meanwhile, foreign critics observed this peculiar duality with a mixture of fascination and alarm: how Russians saw themselves, and how their writers tried to justify and then expose this view.

The ELTE Centre for Social Sciences is organizing a discussion on the role of family relationships in corrupt transactions in connection with the upcoming publication of Dávid Jancsics' new book, Family Corruption in Business and Public Administration: Parents, Spouses, and In-Laws in Illicit Transactions. The participants in the discussion will be Sándor Borbély (ELTE HTK), Dávid Jancsics (University of San Diego), and Gergely Pulay (ELTE CSS Institute for Minority Studies).

Date: 13 January 2026 (Tuesday), 10:00

Venue: ELTE CSS Institute for Legal Studies conference room

The full issue is available on the journal's website.

Contents:

Transylvanian and East German refugees in the Hungarian press;

Parliamentary representation of minorities in Italy, Poland, and Hungary;

Civil resistance and student protests in Serbia;

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Hungarian scholarship beyond the border

Our authors: Ildikó Bajcsi, Nóra Baranyi, Szabolcs Czáboczky, György Tamás Farkas, Veronika Kaszás, Péter Kállai, Balázs Kiss, László Kiss, Ágnes M. Balázs, Ágnes Ordasi, Endre Sik, András Szeibert-Erdős, György Szerbhorváh, Mariann Tarnóczy, Judit Tóth, Balázs Vizi, Nationality Association (Szeged)

Csilla Fedinec's new study has been published in Forum Social Science Review 2025/5.

The issue of the state language, minority languages, and minority rights in general is extensively covered in Ukrainian literature. This study summarizes the developments from the passing of the first Ukrainian language law in 1989 to the end of 2024. It provides a detailed overview of how the content of all basic concepts and legislation has evolved, thereby dispelling many misunderstandings and correcting misinterpretations in propaganda. The issues are examined in both the Ukrainian and international contexts, with examples relating to the Hungarian minority.

Organized by the Rubicon Institute, at Premier CultCafé, on December 10, 2025, at 6 p.m., László Szarka (Rubicon Institute) held a discussion with Iván Halász (ELTE TK JTI) and Nándor Bárdi (ELTE TK KI) entitled "The Trianon Neighbourhood - The Little Entente Countries and Hungarian Revisionist Policy". The participants in this program will also speak on the subject on Kossuth Radio's program "100 Years Ago" on December 18, 2025, at 8:37 p.m. and on January 8, at the same time.

Csilla Fedinec's new study has been published in Forum Social Science Review 2025/5 (available at HERE).

The issue of the state language, minority languages, and minority rights in general is extensively covered in Ukrainian literature. This study summarizes the developments from the passing of the first Ukrainian language law in 1989 to the end of 2024. It provides a detailed overview of how the content of all basic concepts and legislation has evolved, thereby dispelling many misunderstandings and correcting misinterpretations in propaganda. The issues are examined in both the Ukrainian and international contexts, with examples relating to the Hungarian minority.

Our colleague, Tamás Gusztáv Filep, will give a lecture in Cluj-Napoca on December 8, at 6 p.m., at the headquarters of the Transylvanian Museum Association. The title of his lecture is: "Just because something is harmful does not mean that it can be avoided" – Publicist Zsigmond Kemény

Balázs Dobos's chapter entitled "The elections of minority self-governments, 1994-2024. Legislative Changes and Election Results," co-authored with Tamás Szabó, has been published in the volume Local Elections, Three Decades of Local Governance in Hungary, edited by Ferenc Bódi and Ilona Pálné Kovács, published by Gondolat (in Hungarian, HERE).