Századok – 2003

TANULMÁNYOK - Orosz László: Népiségkutatás a nemzeti érdekek ütközőpontjában. A két világháború közötti tudománypolitika Fritz Valjavec és Mályusz Elemér kapcsolatában : 43

NÉPISÉGKUTATÁS A NEMZETI ÉRDEKEK ÜTKÖZŐPONTJÁBAN 99 mely a két, mindvégig ellentétes célok érdekében csatasorba állott történetíró részéről csak most, a végső bukás árnyékában tudott igazán emberi hangot ölteni, jelképes záróakkordja nem csupán kettejük kapcsolatának, de a két világháború közötti német és magyar történettudományt elválasztó szellemi frontvonalnak is. VÖLKISCH HISTORIOGRAPHY IN THE GRIP OF NATIONAL INTERESTS by László Orosz (Summary) The study examines the methods used by Valjavec as the editor of Südost-Forschungen, the most prestigious review dealing with south-eastern Europe, and his efforts at establishing the review as an organ of international reputation. The attention of Hungarian historians was directed towards this subject by a source publication, edited by Karl Nehring, head of the historical department of the Südost Institut at Munich, in the early 1990s, which demonstrated the international expansion of German völkisch historiography via the prestige of the most respected Hungarian historian of the interwar period, Gyula Szekfű, by means of presenting the correspondence of Szekfű and Valjavec between 1934 and 1936. Nehring's publication was also at the origin of the present study, based on the correspondence of Elemér Mályusz, for it tries to analyse the same problem from a different aspect. Namely, the author examines the relationship of Elemér Mályusz, who, in contrast to Szekfű, who categorically rejected the völkisch approach and was followed by almost the entire Hungarian scientific community, tried to adopt the völkisch historiography and even to establish it in the Hungarian historiography, to the leading German review of völkisch historiography and to its editor. Whereas Szekfű's (szellemtörténeti) approach sympathised with the representatives of traditional German historicism, then already on the wane, Mályusz had to define his attitude towards the main organ of German völkisch historiography, which, although close to him methodologically, was completely unacceptable in its politico-ideological implications. The ensuing contradictions nicely complete the picture of Szekfű's constantly rejective attitude, which emerges from Nehring's work. The relationship between Mályusz and Valjavec, seated in the same boat but rowing in opposite directions, was never free of contradictions. For, despite several common features, such as the methodological similarity of their respective approaches and their common orientation towards völkisch historiography, as well as the almost unanimous enmity of traditionally tuned Hungarian historians, which all pushed them towards recognising the ultimate convergence of their interests, the two historians were never able to definitively overcome the determining force of their respective national affinities. Both used their research to prove the "völkisch power" of their respective nations, and to justify their cultural superiority over the neighbouring peoples. Yet at this point their interests inevitably conflicted each other, and this constant source of conflict could not be removed even by their long profesional cooperation and personal meetings. Their relationship, which remained a constant balancing on the margin between friendship and rivality, nevertheless offered an opportunity for both to justify the legitimacy of their approach before a scientific public categegorically rejecting the völkisch approach, and to legalise their new method by using each other's profesional respect. This explains the fact that their professional cooperation was maintained throughout despite their obvious political antagonism. But it was also the reason of the latent tension and mistrust which, despite the polite formalities, remained the basic feature of their correspondence. The reconstruction of the network of relationships established by Valjavec in Hungary and the collection of his letters is now under way The examination of the heritages of the persons concerned will obviously modify the picture based on the Valjavec correspondence preserved in Munich. This first phase of this process is the edition of the relevant part of the correspondance of Elemér Mályusz, one of the results of which is the present study.