Sárospataki Füzetek 17. (2013)

2013 / 1-2. szám - KÖZLEMÉNY - Bába Szilvia: "Because you have two homes..." - The Hungarian overseas diaspora: the platform of co-operation "Mert két hazád van..." - A tengerentúli magyar diaszpóra: az együttműködés plattformja

thousand, to Canada circa 15 thousand, to Australia circa 15 thousand. Another 17 thousand emigrated to 16 other countries, to Austria 60 thousand, so in all circa 150 thousand Hungarians left the country.

The first Hungarian exodus to Australia began in the period between 1948 and 1953. The main destinations, depending on work opportunities were Adelaide, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney.

To Latin-America circa 20-25 thousand emigrants arrived after the 2nd World War. The target countries of this exodus were Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil. It was during this time that Hungarians began to found federations and associations divided according to religious and political affiliations.

Between the autumn of1956 and the spring of1957 circa 200 thousand people crossed the border. They were mostly professionals, well-trained young adults and university undergraduates. The majority of these emigrants chose the USA. The second target country was Canada but circa 15 thousand people also settled in Australia and New-Zealand. About 4 thousand Hungarians went to Latin-America: to Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Chile.

Naturally, in the course of my analysis I will make a particular distinction between those who escaped out of necessity (emigrants, refugees) and those people who defected for the adventure of it or for economical and cultural reasons.

Between 1957and 1990 it was always a big deal if somebody defected. Especially in the 1960-70’s a lot of Hungarians left the country this way. They regenerated and refilled the old organisations. They founded a lot of new, mainly cultural and traditional associations.

However, unfortunately due to the crisis of the steel industry during the 1960- 1970’s in the USA, the Hungarian colonies began to dwindle. Families moved on because job opportunities ceased. The thousands-strong congregations, their 600-800-strong churches became empty and were sold. They started to say Mass in English alongside Hungarian. The second and the third generations do not speak their parents’ mother tongue.

In the years during the regime change in 1989-1990, a lot of Hungarians emigrated from to Australia and to the USA. At the time of the Yugoslav war Hungarians escaped from Croatia and Serbia as well. There is some emigration nowadays as well, in the hope of a better future, a chance at a better life. People who leave the country to live overseas and in Western-Europe usually live hidden and they do not work within their profession.

Historical analysis is necessary because these various waves of emigration left for different reasons and caused different and serious differences in terms of today's assimilation, Hungarian identity and the dimensions of their relationship to Hungary. Therefore neither the emigrant nor the dissident groups are homogeneous and the variations are very typical of the descendants.

Literature and statistics

In addition, in the course of my researches I will analyse the efforts of Hungarian institutions, including the government and also the work of the churches, the non-official civil and the non-governmental organisations which partly operated during the socialism, too.

„Because you have two homes..."

2013/1-2 Sárospataki Füzetek 161