Cultural development and perspectives of the Croatian minority in Hungary from 1989 to present day

Vuk, Margit Bernadett. (2015). Cultural development and perspectives of the Croatian minority in Hungary from 1989 to present day. PhD Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of History. [mentor Vranješ-Šoljan, Božena].

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Abstract

Before the democratic changes in Hungary, the Constitution and several regulations declared the particular cultural, educational and linguistic rights of the minorities, however, those regulations did not comprise a single system and the conditions for their realisation were missing. After the democratic changes, i.e. from the 1990s until present day, the legal framework for the protection of minorities in Hungary hasseenan entire range of changes and developments. The new chapter in minority politics began with the adoption of the Act LXXVII of 1993 on the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities,the aim of whichwas to enable the preservation of minority identities and slow down the strengthened assimilation tendencies through ensuring the appropriate rights for the minorities. This is the first systematic acton the minorities' rights in Hungary, which regulates the individual and collective rights of the minorities, enables the construction of a self-governing system and, together with other legal regulations, with the help of the financing system, guarantees the construction of cultural autonomy of the national and ethnic minorities which will be gradually realised through the takeover and independent management of the cultural and educational institutions pertaining to their minority. The self-governing system of the minorities which has developed gradually since 1994 functions well today, and is assuming an increasingly important role in the self-organisation of the minorities. With regard to the preservation of national identity – along with ensuring the complete equality and positive discrimination of the minorities – within the framework of the actual minority autonomy, the responsibility of the minority self-government andsocial organisations (civil society) is growing as well. The recognition of minorities as constitutional factors encompasses the role of the minorities and minority self-governments as the minority representative bodies in legislation with the aim of achieving the cultural autonomy of the minorities. The establishment and work of the minority self-governments have strengthened the activities of the national and ethnic minorities in the cultural and educational areas, which leads to the cohesion of minority communities and the strengthening of their identities. The Croatian minority self-governing system directed towards the establishment of cultural autonomy enables the cultural development of the Croatian national minority as well as the further development of this self-governing system, and it will contribute to the promising development of the Croatian minority. The cultural autonomy is not achieved only through the system of minority self-governments and independent minority institutions, but also with the help of the entire minority protection system. The high level of minority protection, the establishment of a democratic system of institutions and the intensified bilateral and crossborder cooperation between Hungary and Croatia contribute to the strengthening of identity, the preservation of cultural values and the promising development of Croats in Hungary. The democratic changes and the new political frameworks have enabled the reorganisation of the minority communities, including Croats, which has led to their revitalisation and cultural development.

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