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
162 József Liszka term. This view has been adopted by several ethnographers. 3. There are ethnographic views that circumscribe the Mátyusföld region in a different way. According to these, the eastern border of the region lies somewhere between the Nitra and Žitva Rivers. In spite of this, in my opinion, we should circumscribe the Mátyusföld region using the narrow definition given by the historical approach in the same way as in the case of our other geo-historical regions such as Csallóköz, Bodrogköz, Tápióság, etc. It is a commonplace that the single ethnographic phenomena cannot be isolated by drawing sharp geographical borders. In this way, for example, the Danube, Small Danube, and Váh-Danube Rivers as borders of the Csallóköz region do not coincide with the cultural borders. So why do we expect this to happen in the case of the Mátyusföld region then? Finally, let me make an additional remark. The reason why ethnographers extend the eastern border of Mátyusföld to the Hron River is, in my opinion, that the population east of the Hron River can be more or less rightfully regarded, from an ethnographic point of view, as Palóc people. On the other hand, the region lying east of the Hron (between the Váh and Hron Rivers), does not have a particular ethnographic denomination. This is not uncommon in the Hungarian linguistic area, therefore it is not necessary to solve the problem by extending the neighbouring region to the unnamed area. Personally, I call the region in question simply as the area between the Váh and Hron Rivers. At the same time, it is important to be aware of the fact that to draw a sharp line of cultural borders is possible neither in this place, that is, in the area between the Váh an Hron Rivers, nor in other places. References Barabás, J. (ed.) (1987-1992), Magyar néprajzi atlasz l-IX. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó.
