The conference on the history of the Hungarian minority in Romania will be held for the fourth time on May 15–16, 2026, in Sfântu Gheorghe, in the Béla Bartók Hall of the Szekler National Museum.

A new study by Csilla Fedinec has been published: Hungarian Turul and Ukrainian Trident. Understanding the Role of National Symbols in the Context of the Russian–Ukrainian War. In: Nation-Building and Symbolic Politics in Central and Eastern Europe in the Long Twentieth Century: Our Flags, Our Heroes, Our Words. New York, Bloomsbury Academic, 2026, pp. 233-260. DOI: 10.5040/9798881893422.0011

Gergely Pulay's article Post-feudalism and post-fascism at the end of the Orbán-regime in Hungary can be read on Focaal Blog.

Our colleague, György Szerbhorváth, will participate between May 7 and 9, 2026, in Subotica, at an interdisciplinary conference, workshop, and festival focusing on the history, culture, and possible return of guest workers (Gastarbeiter). The event will be held in Serbian and Hungarian at the Klara and Rosa civic cultural center.

Csilla Fedinec will take part in a panel discussion on 8 May at the Örkény Theatre

Interview with Margit Feischmidt on the European University Institute's webpage.

An analysis by Csilla Fedinec in the April 23 issue of Jelen.

In Russia’s war-related and broader geopolitical ambitions, a clear intention emerges to restore its influence over the post-Soviet space. This is not merely a matter of historical nostalgia or ideological aspiration, but a process driven by a highly concrete strategic logic, aimed at the military and political reintegration of the former Soviet region. Within this system, particular importance is assigned to those states whose geographic location, military infrastructure, or political orientation enables them to play a key role. In this context, Belarus and Ukraine assume closely interconnected yet distinct roles: while Ukraine has become the focal point of the conflict through its armed resistance, Belarus has emerged as a less visible but strategically decisive supporting actor.

The significance of Belarus lies in the fact that it does not appear as an independent belligerent, but rather as a space that enables the extension of Russian military presence. This role is particularly important for the dynamics of the war, as it forms a kind of intermediate zone between Russia and NATO’s eastern flank, while also providing direct access to northern Ukraine

Csilla Fedinec will participate in the 7th Regional History Conference in Eger on April 14, 2026.

Our colleague, Ágnes Tóth, gave lectures on the situation of Germans in Hungary after 1945:

On March 27, she delivered a lecture in Stuttgart at an event organized by the Liszt Institute and the Institute for Danube Swabian History and Regional Studies, held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the expulsion of Germans from Hungary. The title of her lecture was: Forced Migration and Power Restructuring in Hungary (1945–1948).

On March 31, at the invitation of the German Minority Self-Government, she gave a lecture in Újhartyán titled The Situation of Germans in Hungary, 1945–1953.

Csilla Fedinec’s article has been published in issue 2026/1 of Fórum Társadalomtudományi Szemle.

The escalation of the Russian–Ukrainian war in February 2022 has profoundly reshaped European security architecture and the international discourse on the protection of national minorities. Historically, minority rights in Europe have been primarily addressed through human rights and cultural perspectives, emphasising the preservation of linguistic and cultural identity, access to education, and political participation. Institutions such as the Council of Europe, the European Union, and the OSCE have established normative and monitoring frameworks to safeguard these rights, largely treating minority protection as a mechanism for societal cohesion and democratic stability. However, the 2022 war exposed the potential for minority protection narratives to be used for geopolitical purposes. Russian political rhetoric presented alleged threats to Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine as a justification for military intervention, blending legal and human rights terminology with political and territorial ambitions. This highlighted the limitations of a purely normative approach and prompted a re-evaluation of minority protection in security terms. In response, international institutions and the Ukrainian state have adopted an integrated post-2022 model combining legal guarantees, cultural support, and security measures. This approach emphasises protecting minority languages and education, ensuring political participation and fostering loyalty, and monitoring external influence and propaganda. Empirical evidence from Hungarian, Romanian, Polish and Crimean Tatar communities shows that when minorities are actively engaged in civil and defensive efforts, societal cohesion is strengthened and the 'internal enemy' narrative is undermined. The study also examines the role of kinship-based state policies, emphasising how the supportive engagement of Romania and Poland contrasts with Hungary's more contentious interventions, which could pose risks to trust and integration. Overall, the war has catalysed a paradigm shift in European minority protection, emphasising the inseparability of human rights, political loyalty and security considerations in contexts affected by conflict.