Hungarian Heritage 11. [antikvár]

Hungarian Heritage, Volume 11 (2010)BAL^t^^BALOGH (Budapest)In Hungary, the question of American Hungarians is one of great social significance, particularly since, in the old country, few people are aware of the cultural and economic potential of the 1.4 million people of Hungarian descent who, according to 2000 census figures, are currently living in the United States.At the turn of the 19th century, Hungarian immigrants, driven out by agrarian poverty at home, built their own institutional system, schools, churches (as many as 140) and cultural associations. Communities of Hungarian peasants who became Hungarian-American miners and steelworkcrs preserved the traditions of Tiszahát, Palócland or Transdanubia through their attitudes and their retention of Hungarian objects, foods, behavioural patterns etc. Although the majority of those who regard them-selves as of Hungarian descent no longer speak Hungarian, and although the once enormous institutional network is now fragmented, this loss of ground is itself a warning of the pressing need to document the still extant cultural treasures.In the summer of 2008, the Institute of Ethnology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, along with two affiliated institutions, organised a conference on the history and cultural life of American Hungarian communities. The present volume contains studies based on several of the presentations given at that conference. In our view, achieving a real understanding, through comprehensive scientific investigation, of the cultural potential of American Hungarians is a task of great social importance that will inspire and intensify further research.Í