Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1981 (9. évfolyam, 27-30. szám)
1981 / 29. szám
of food habits and ethnicity in the Hungarian scene, made several trips to Hungary and has been active as a Hungarianist among anthropologists. In fact, she will chair the next session of Hungarianists at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association in December 1981. She is director of evaluation and planning for Behavior Service Consultants, Inc., at Greenbelt, Maryland. □ Vincze, Lajos. “Peasant Animal Husbandry: A Dialectic Model of Techno-Environmental Integration in Agro-Pastorial Societies.” Ethnology (USA) 19:4 (October 1980) 387-403. This study focuses on peasant communities in which both, agriculture and stock raising are practiced. These economic practices show great similarities in various regions of the world, and therefore lend themselves to generalizations not attempted before. The author offers a model for the examination of the dialectic relationship between the two forms of production, “seeking to understand the mechanisms that integrate them within the traditional peasant economy.” He uses data from many cultural areas, including the Carpathian- Danubian region, with ample references to the Hungarian scene. He concludes, that “the economy is most effective when it can integrate the two modes of production by taking maximal advantage of the mutually supportive elements and by reducing to a minimum the inconveniences resulting from conflicting factors. The author is assoc, prof, of sociology and anthropology at Bowling Green State U. □ Volgyes, Ivan, “The Kádár Years in Hungary.” Current History (April 1981) 159-163 and 183-184. The author surveys the contemporary scene in Hungary and outlines achievements and failures of the regime. He refers to the present state of affairs in Hungary as “a socialist society with a bourgeois face," a condition which came about by “economic success.. .coupled with a remarkable political stability.” Nevertheless, he sees difficulties ahead. The benefits of most favored nation status will not yield the expected economic gains and tightening the economic belt may have serious political repercussions. “The projected elimination of price supports from most domestic consumer and marketed products, the planned equilibrium between Western and Hungarian real prices, and the projected equalization of commercial and tourist foreign currency rates will mean a sharply reduced Hungarian living standard.” The author sees an inability “to enforce decisions that have been made by the party and the government” as the greatest problem. Culprits of irregularities can and do escape sanctions. In addition to political problems, the succession to Kádár looms in the air, and social problems, such as drug addiction and countercultures aggravate the situation. Nevertheless, “Hungary remains a tightly controlled state in which the party is fully in control, a socialist state in which the dictatorship of the party in unchallenged.” The author is prof, of political science at the U. of Nebraska. □ ARTICLES & PAPERS (Continued) MISCELLANEOUS The HUNGARIAN CHAIR at INDIANA U. was filled by György Ránki, deputy director of the Historical Institute of the HAS, beginning January 1981. The Chair is continuing to offer courses in linguistics and in history which had been taught at Indiana U. for some time. The emphasis in history will be on specific issues which place Hungarian history into a European framework. Maintaining contacts with scholars of Hungarian studies is regarded as an important task of the Chair. A series of conferences are planned to discuss various aspects of Hungarian studies and to establish a publication series. The first such conference was held at Bloomington in April 1981. Leading specialists from Hungary, Western Europe, and Canada discussed “Hungarians and Turks,” “Hungary in the Habsburg Empire,” and “Hungary and the Third Reich.” A roundtable discussion focused on the potential promotion of Hungarian studies. Two conferences are planned for the spring of 1982: “Hungarian Economy in International Perspective," and “Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály.” Beginning with 1982, the Chair will offer an intern fellowship for those who are working in the field and who wish to use the facilities of Indiana U. Applications are due by January 31, 1982 and should be addressed to Prof. György Ránki, Dept, of Uralic and Altaic Studies. Goodbody Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405. The creation of a Hungarian Chair at Indiana U. (see HSN no. 21, p.1) was a major achievement of Denis Sinor, who retired from the chairmanship of the Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies after 18 years of teaching and administrative services in July 1981. His successor is Gustav Bayerle, a philologist, art historian specializing in Ottoman-Hungarian history. Sinorwill remain as director of the National Resource Center at Indiana U. □ The HUNGARIAN CHAIR at the U. of TORONTO is in its third year and expanding its offerings in the Hungarian studies program. (For basic information see HSN no.21,p.1.) The Hungarian Chair is housed in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. Its present holder is George Bisztray. Offerings include 12 courses of which 7 are offered by the Chair, and 5 courses in cooperation with the departments of history, political science, and economics. A student may major in Hungarian studies (6 courses required), or enroll in a minor program (3 courses required). Two minor programs are available: one requires three language courses only, the other does not require language study at all. Assisted by the Hungarian ethnic community of Canada the Chair provides summer study in Hungary. Beyond its teaching functions the Chair plans triennial conferences on various Hungarian-related topics. The Chair published an attractive pamphlet on its programs which may be obtained by writing to Prof. George Bisztray, Dept, of Slavic Languages and Literature, 21 Sussex Avenue, Room 304, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONT M5S 1A1. □ MERCER COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE in Trenton, N J now offers beginning and advanced courses in Hungarian. These credit courses have a total enrollment of 35 students for the first semester of 1981 -82. The first Hungarian language course was introduced in January 1981. Dr. Elizabeth Halasi- Kun is the instructor. Additional courses are planned. □ Guide to Grants and Fellowships in Language and Linguistics, 1981-1982 is the title of a highly useful 45 page publication of the Linguistic Society of America. It is a supplement of The Linguistic Reporter, volume 23, no. 9 (June 1981). Interested persons may write to the Center for Appl ied Linguistics, 1611 North Kent Street, Alexandria, VA 22209. □ War and Society in East Central Europe is a program at Brooklyn College, maintained principally by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. During the next three years (1981-1984) the program will focus on “East Central 6 NO. 29, AUTUMN 1981, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER
