The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1985 (12. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1985-06-01 / 6. szám
Paul Body TENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAN HUNGARIAN EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION (AHEA) The tenth annual conference of the AHEA was held at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, April 25-27, 1985. The beautiful environment of Indiana University, coupled with perfect sunny weather, provided participants with a highly congenial setting to discuss and listen to issues of interest for American Hungarians. Participants included both native (Hungarian-born) North Americans and visitors from Hungary. The panel on Hungarian Literature: National and International Aspects presented excellent papers by C. Hollosi of Brock University, Canada on a 19th century English writer’s views of Hungarian poetry, by Ian Thompson of Indiana University on the Hungarian humanist scholar and Bishop of Pecs of the 15th century, Janus Pannonius, and a very thought provoking presentation by Professor Mihály Szegedy-Maszak of the University of Budapest on National Self-awareness in Contemporary Hungarian Literature. Professzor Szegedy-Maszak spoke about the current re-evaluation of both 19th century and present-day literary works in Hungary. In the view of the speaker, these trends are producing an integration of diverse literary schools, such as pupulism and internationalism. The presentation sparked very sharp debate among visitors from Hungary and Americans. It was undoubtedly one of the most stimulating presentations of the entire conference. Another panel covered Hungary and the Second World War, a very timely topic. Professor György Ranki of Indiana University chaired the session. Dr. Gyula Juhasz of the Institute of History, Budapest, spoke about Hungarian foreign policy at critical points of the Second World War. Professor Geza Jeszensky, also a Hungarian visitor, but currently Fulbright Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, presented an excellent analysis of Western policy toward Poland and Hungary in the course of the Second World War, concluding that the Western democracies gave very low priority to the East European small nations already during the war, a policy that was to continue in the post-war period. Professor Gyula Nyikos of Washington and Jefferson College, a major leader of the Hungarian Student Unity Movement during the Second World War, related his experiences of the Hungarian Resistance and of the role of the student movements. Dr. Ruth Biro of Duquesne University chaired a session on Librarianship and Library Resources. A paper by Ilona Kovács of the National Széchényi Library, Budapest, discussed the materials of the Library relating to American-Hungarian records and publications. Two staff members of the Hungarian Center for Educational Technology, Pal Szucs and Gyula Jankovits, gave information on audio-visual and computerized materials used in Hungarian education. Dr. Zsófia Radnai of the University of Pecs reported on Hungarian language instruction materials for children. Of major interest were presentations on Economic Reforms in Hungary and Doing Business with Hungary. The first topic, chaired by Professor Paul Marer of Indiana University, provided an excellent overview of the purposes and extent of reforms in Hungary. A paper by Kathy Sokil, doctoral student at the Indiana University, discussed the financial structure of of Hungary. The second session related personal and business experiences of two American businesses that do business with June, 1985 Hungarian partners: the Cummins Engine Company and the David R. Webb Company. One of the major contributions of the Conference to a wideranging discussion of American-Hungarian studies was the opportunity to meet with persons of a great diversity of backgrounds and including both native Hungarians and residents of Canada and the United States. Extensive discussions took place throughout the conference in a spirit of friendship and mutual respect, even in cases of considerable disagreement on important issues. Both the conference organizers and the participants deserve recognition for a well-conducted, informative and stimulating experience. * * * NOTES ON AMERICAN-HUNGARIAN ORGANIZATIONS In the above article we featured the recent conference of the AHEA to inform readers of a significant annual event in Hungarian community life. There are several other organizations which sponsor conferences, publish newsletters or magazines, or offer other forms of information. We plan to feature these organizations in future issues. Listed below are some of the most active organizations with brief information on their background, history and current activities. — American Hungarian Educators’ Association (AHEA). An organization devoted to the teaching, dissemination and research of Hungarian culture. It actively supports programs to increase American and Canadian awareness of Hungarian culture as well as to deepen the appreciation of Hungarian traditions among ethnic Hungarians. It uses English as its primary language of communication. It sponsors annual conferences, publishes a newsletter and supports publications featuring Hungarian culture. Contact: AHEA, PO Box 4103, Silver Spring, MD 20904. — Hungarian Communion of Friends — Magyar Barati Közösség MBK. An association to promote non-demoninational religious life in the Hungarian tradition, charitable work by and among people of Hungarian extraction, and cultural-educational endeavors that further Hungarian values. MBK publishes a quarterly magazine, Itt-Ott, in Hungarian, featuring articles and commentary on Hungary and Hungarians throughout the world. MBK also sponsors a week-long annual conference, coupled with recreational activities, at Lake Hope State Park, Ohio, conducted in Hungarian. Contact: MBK, 3306 SE Taylor St., Portland, Oregon 97214. — American Hungarian Folklore Centrum is an organization that promotes information, events and activities relating to Hungarian folk culture, including folklore, folk dance, folk music, folk art and ethnic life of Hungarians. Its special emphasis is on folk dance and folk art. It publishes a highly informative quarterly newsletter, Karikazo, providing detailed information on Hungarian folklore activities in the United States, Canada and Europe. It sponsores regional and national folk dance festivals and folk dance workshops. It manages the Hungarian Folk Museum in Passaic, N.J. and sells Hungarian records, books, folklore materials. Contact: Kalman Magyar, PO Box 262, Bogota, N.J. 07603. Page 5
