Csatlós Judit (szerk.): Vízizrí. Munkáskultúra a Duna partján - Életmód és társadalmi mozgalmak a modernitásban 2. (Budapest, 2016)
Önszerveződés / Self-organisation - A Természetbarátok Turista Egyesülete /The Friends of Nature Ramblers' Association
Self-organisation The Friends of Nature Ramblers’ Association Until the Second World War, the Hungarian word for worker - munkás - meant hardly more than being in employment. Somebody in government administration, or working in trade or for a bank was as much a "worker" as an artisan or an industrial employee. Recognition of common interests and formation into classes arose among those seeking social reforms and equal rights in the political, social and even private spheres. Part of this process was the emergence of new legal and social-policy institutions connected to the world of work. In the late 19th century, activity aimed at forming workers into a class and representing their interests gave rise to organisations of a new kind: associations built up as networks, with international connections. Unlike existing societies and clubs, their members came together not shared personal pursuits but a desire to further common interests. The Vienna-based Touristverein Die Naturfreunde was one of these, as was the Természetbarátok Turista Egyesülete [Friends of Nature Ramblers’ Association, TTE], formed in Budapest in 1910. Both set themselves up as constituents of the universal workers’ movement. The TTE drew on various forms of self-organisation to develop its operations. There were local and occupational groups and sectionsformedattheinitiativeofmembersthemselvesithedifferentsections had a high degree of autonomy; members directly provided finance for developing and maintaining infrastructure: and they engaged in all kinds of voluntary, communal and self-improvement activities. Self-organisation led to a complex and heterogeneous structure that embraced members of all levels of wealth, education and social origins, and with divergent political views. The TTE became a centre for social life with formal and informal meetings, a discussion forum, and an organised force for strengthening civic awareness. What formed in the TTE - and trade union linked organisations aimed specifically at organising spare-time activities-was a workers’ culture that helped toshape identityand deepened thesenseof mutual belonging. 9
