Post #1114370

2026-04-13 02:08 UTC

Also, due to its singular language, Hungary had never been a particularly diverse country. I remember very well how my Jewish friend and brown self would get *stared at, hard* in public places. What I saw in subsequent decades (eg, Jobbik) was a very obvious extension of what I'd experienced. ↵

Replies (3)

@t0yv0@vmst.io 2026-04-13 02:12

@shriramk@mastodon.social some of my lecturers during my time at CEU in Budapest were working on research arguing for re-integration of Roma schools that "accidentally" segregated the Roma children into special needs schools. CEU was trying to be very diverse. Unfortunately the entire university was forced out the country for what appeared to be political reasons. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/16/ceu-classes-move-to-vienna-orban-hungary-ousts-university

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@shriramk@mastodon.social 2026-04-13 02:12

So I suspect it's not easy for many outsiders to understand Hungary. You have to view it both through the lens of its 1100 yr history, including long periods of non-independence, and through its linguistic isolation from its neighbors. And what it did under Nazis, and what was done to it by Soviets. ↵

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@Alon@mastodon.social 2026-04-13 04:09

@shriramk I mean, Hungary was 5% Jewish before WW2. Like elsewhere in Europe, it's not that Hungary was never diverse so much as that it became monocultural through genocide and ethnic cleansings that happened within living memory.

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