Tolerance and Cultural Diversity Concepts and Practices in Hungary

The ‘Nation’ has figured prominently in Hungarian political and social life over the last century and a half to describe and explain all sorts of social and economic phenomena. In order to better understand the impact of this most recent resurgence in Hungarian nationalism on discourses and practices of tolerance, we explain in our study how the question of Hungary’s internal minorities (and the Roma in particular) has taken a backseat to the question of the transborder Hungarians. The result is that in certain respect the search for solutions to the Roma problem in Hungary is still in its infancy. For years, Hungary’s policies toward its minorities were driven, at least in part, by concern for (and a preoccupation with) the transborder Hungarians: Hungary used its domestic policies in an attempt to set an example for the neighboring countries to adopt in their treatment of the transborder Hungarians. The policies thus devised for Hungary’s minorities and the Roma in particular did not always correspond to the needs or demands of these minorities. Legislative changes in education, the welfare system, and economic structures have often had the effect of further marginalizing the Roma. This continued socio-economic marginalization of the Roma has been further exacerbated by racialised understandings of difference (particularly evident vis-à-vis the Roma) that preclude possibilities for socio-cultural integration and/or accommodation.
The major tolerance issues in Hungary today are overwhelmingly related to the situation of the Roma. Social scientific research shows that the Roma are the primary target of the most intense prejudice and racism in Hungary. The extreme right has recently turned their attention to the Roma not with the aim of ameliorating tensions but rather aggravating them by scapegoating the Roma. This has had the effect of legitimating the continued radicalization of more mainstream discourses on the Roma.
Immigrants in Hungary, although very small in number, are also typically viewed with a combination of fear and distrust. The largest group of immigrants to Hungary are Hungarians from the neighboring countries. Despite the fact that in political discourse these Hungarians constitute an important part of the national ‘self’, in and through the practices of immigration they have been constituted as, somewhat ironically, a national ‘other’. Other immigrant groups in contrast have been less visible simply due to their small numbers. But when these groups do appear in the media, they too are often presented as either threatening (e.g. the Chinese mafia) or at the very least exotic. The study elaborates on these two main types of groups: indigenous groups and immigrants.
The 1993 Minorities Law signalled a ‘multicultural turn’ in Hungary’s relations with its minorities. The Law officially recognized (and institutionally accommodated) cultural and ethnic difference. As for the Roma, the law contributed little to resolving the harsh social, cultural and economic problems they experienced. Roma political mobilisation and activism has been unable to reverse these trends. Roma minority self-governments and political parties were formed after the 1993 law, but without significant power.