Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)

Interethnic spaces

Border region or contact zone 143

observable within numerous communities have stimulated great changes, too3.

The seven Hungarian minority communities4 as the so far passive subjects of the local state and regional policies had only a very limited power to initiate significant and positive changes in the regional and settlement development policy.

Within these circumstances, the high population rate of towns and big-settlements in Vojvodina (72.9%) can count as the starting point for serious development projects the same way as the small-settlement structure of the Hungarian villages in Slovenia can count.5

Among the sociological statistical data which relate to the spatial location and which have an influence on individual and group ethnic identity I would like to mention the religious indicators. Whereas a generally high-speed atheisation is typical for the region, ten years ago the average of atheists among the Hungarian minority was only 5.6 per cent (in Transylvania: 0.3%, in Slovakia: 19.5%).

Within the identity factors of the Hungarian ethnic minority and of local communities (families and persons constituting this minority), generally the dominant motives are those which at the given moment are considered as particularly important by the elite of the minority society (be it at local or state level), and which are eventually celebrated, demonstrated or defended by them. Among these, the Hungarian historical memories of the local community or region, the statues, tombs, monuments and museums of its important personalities figurate as the most frequent spatial “identityproducing” factors. These factors “work” without particular intellectual influence as well, especially if they are includedand in the last decade they were- into the educational programme of local Hungarian education institutes.

The most important tie between space and national-ethnic identity is, naturally, the language. The locally spoken language, its contact variations, which distinguish one community from the other and which make it different from the language used in Hungary, represent the most significant difference. Beside this, the distinguished style of speakers coming