A Herman Ottó Múzeum Évkönyve 45. (2006)

R. Nagy József: „Gazdag volt az ország és boldog benne a nép!” Falusi munkáskolóniák lakóinak politika- és nemzetfelfogása Északkelet-Magyarországon

"THE LAND WAS RICH AND THE PEOPLE WERE CONTENT" Attitudes towards politics and the nation in rural workers' colonies in north-eastern Hungary The study describes the attitudes towards the nation, national consciousness and politics of the workers living in colonies in north-eastern Hungary based on the findings of cultural anthropological fieldwork. The disappearing traditions and the changes are both taken into account. The workers' attitudes toward the 1956 uprising and the changes in their attitudes to this event are also discussed. Various attitudes towards the nation, which often divided Hungarians, could be noted among the workers. In some periods, the workers formed a counter-point to the national ideal. Even so, we did not find any significant differences as regards these attitudes. It seems likely that there existed some form of differentiation in the life of these rural communities with a colourful ethnic background. In practice, this meant that origins were remembered for one or two generations, although this was not too important if individuals regarded as "outsiders" had existing and good contacts within the work organisation. Changes were mostly triggered by profound historic and social events, such as political upheavals, wars and the revision of the country's borders. Those, who strove to become assimilated, became part of the Hungarian nation both in the eyes of their community and in their own. However, those who were unable or unwilling to assimilate - such as the Gypsies - remained beyond the pale of the nation. Our research confirmed several stereotypes, which were found to be true in the case of the workers in the studied region. These are the following: the average worker is secularised and thinks back to Socialism with nostalgia. Most of them, about two-thirds, have left-wing attitudes, they are politically passive and only about one-third can be regarded as having right-wing attitudes. József R. Nagy 327