Sociocultural Change in Hungary
A Politico-Anthropological Approach
in The International Journal of Social Quality
Abstract
Although Hungary joined the European Union in 2004, it seems that it has not yet been able to catch up with its Western European neighbors socioeconomically. The reasons for this are numerous, including the fact that this former historical region (Kingdom of Hungary), today the sovereign state of Hungary, has a specific sociocultural image and attitude formed by various historical events. And the nature of these events can explain why Hungary's economic development and overarching political narrative differ so markedly from Western Europe. The aim of this article is to present the unique location of Hungary in the context of Central and Eastern Europe, and to address such factors as urbanization and industrialization, migration, population, politics, economic development, and social values crisis. We argue that these factors, including the European status quo that emerged after 1945, have influenced the existing sociopolitical, socioeconomic, and sociocultural differences between Hungary and Western European EU states.
Contributor Notes
Ferenc Bódi is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Political Science, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence. Since 1994, he has belonged to the Local Organization of Social Services (LOSS) international research team. During this research collaboration, he has written two books, which were published by EHV Bremen. Nowadays, his main research focuses on the social deficit indicators (anomie) and migration issues in wide international cooperation with the EURISPES (Italy), and on local policy and self-government during the transition period in Central and Eastern Europe. He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Turati Foundation, Florence, Italy. Furthermore, he belongs to the Editorial Committee of Storia e Futuro in Florence. Email: bodi.ferenc@tk.hu
Ralitsa Savova is a PhD Candidate in the Social and Economic Contexts of Human Resources Program at the University of Sopron, Hungary, and an External Associate at the Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Political Science, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence. She is a Member of the Editorial Committee of the Online journal of history and historiography Storia e Futuro, Florence, Italy; a Member of the International Scientific Committee Amelio Tagliaferri; and the Official Representative for Central and Eastern Europe to the European cultural route Longobard Ways across Europe, Brescia, Italy. Email: ralitsa.savova@tk.hu