Vol. 11 No. 3 (2025): Research Papers

An article by Ildikó Zakariás was published in the Journal of International Migration and Integration:

Zakariás, Ildikó: Beyond segmentation – Flexibilised jobs, work-devaluation and migrant labour in adult language teaching in Austria. Journal of International Migration and Integration, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-025-01341-2.

The paper examines the international migration of education professionals in the context of neoliberal restructuring and the flexibilisation of welfare. While existing research emphasises the over-representation of foreign citizen workers in lower-paid, lower status labour-market segments of education and welfare, this paper proposes that inequalities may also arise and should be scrutinised within these segments, comprised of foreign citizens and nationals alike. Focusing on the deregulated sector of adult education for refugees, migrants and the unemployed in Austria, our paper explores the construction of skills and professionalism in the field, and the consequences on everyday work conditions of these workers. Our analysis relies on qualitative data collected since 2021, through fieldwork that includes long-term participant observation in two adult education institutions in Vienna, as well as 41 semi-structured qualitative interviews. The analysis reveals various career pathways channelling the workforce into publicly funded adult education in Austria: former schoolteachers arriving from severely under-resourced public education systems of CEE countries are joined by early-career teachers and career-changer professionals, both groups being predominantly Austrian citizens. We found that while very low hourly wages affect all workers irrespective of citizenship, transnational migration and associated resources and valuation frameworks still imply severe inequalities within the field, manifesting in differences of workloads and of career mobility prospects. This perspective complements the existing research on work conditions of migrants in feminised professions of welfare and education, reveals the operation of migration-related inequalities on a previously under-researched sub-organisational scale and draws attention to various interlocking processes of work devaluation beyond the migrant-citizen binary.

Ildikó Zakariás gave a lecture at the University of Vienna on January 14, 2026, at the invitation of the Multilingualism Working Group. The title of her lecture was: Beyond segmentation – Flexibilised jobs, work-devaluation and migrant labor in adult language teaching in Austria.

On 29 January 2026 (Thursday) at 5:00 PM, the roundtable discussion “Migration and Integration – Hungarian Experiences of the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis” will take place at the FSZEK Ötpacsirta Salon (1088 Budapest, Ötpacsirta utca 4) as part of the Ferge Zsuzsa Professional Legacy Lecture Series. Our colleague Margit Feischmidt will participate in the event as one of the invited speakers in the roundtable discussion.

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.

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)

The latest issue of Intersections. East European Society and Politics is now published.

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.