Minority In Slovakia Research Articles

“We are Slovaks too, just not in that way” The experience of the Slovak minority youth from Hungary studying in the Kin-state

“We are Slovaks too, just not in that way” The experience of the Slovak minority youth from Hungary studying in the Kin-state

Shifting Punishment on Minorities: Experimental Evidence of Scapegoating

This paper provides experimental evidence showing that members of a majority group systematically shift punishment on innocent members of an ethnic minority. We develop a new incentivized task, the Punishing the Scapegoat Game, to measure how injustice affecting a member of one’s own group shapes punishment of an unrelated bystander (“a scapegoat”). We manipulate the ethnic identity of the scapegoats and study interactions between the majority group and the Roma minority in Slovakia. We find that when no harm is done, there is no evidence of discrimination against the ethnic minority. In contrast, when a member of one’s own group is harmed, the punishment ”passed” on innocent individuals more than doubles when they are from the minority, as compared to when they are from the dominant group. These results illuminate how individualized tensions can be transformed into a group conflict, dragging minorities into conflicts in a way that is completely unrelated to their behavior. Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.

University education and Hungarian minority in Slovakia 1918-1938

University education and Hungarian minority in Slovakia 1918-1938

HUNGARIAN AND SLOVAK ISSUES IN THE TEXTS OF LAJOS HAAN IN THE BACKGROUND OF CULTURAL AND LITERARY SCIENCE

Slovaks living abroad form an integral part of the Slovak national cultural context. They create values that need to be preserved, enhanced and point out their versatility and use for contemporary forms of cultural identification. Slovaks in Hungary, who have been living in the vicinity of Békéscsaba for more than three hundred years, are also an important component of the Slovak minority of Hungarian Lowland. From this “Slovak Palestine”, as Ján Kollár named it, in the 18th and 19th century a historical-religious-cultural center of Slovaks (and also Hungarians) was created, which can still be rightfully proud of its heritage. Being a part of it, as a kind of pioneer, even as a historical basis, is also the personality of Lajos Haan (1818-1891), who performed his versatile activity in the chronotope of “Hungarian and Slovak” Békéscsaba. In this spirit, the article interprets his letters, his diary, “Pamätnosti” (Memoirs) and “Dejiny” (History), while presenting material and immaterial sources, monuments, inspirations that have been, are and will certainly be useful in artistic, cultural and literary “communication”. It is based on the attributes of cultural and literary science, which is thus an integrative model of literature research: a set of approaches that focus on cultural topics, theories and methods. The region of Békéscsaba ( pars pro toto: contemporary Hungary) is its focus. In selected texts of his material writings, Lajos Haan reflects his closer understanding of cooperation with the environment, from a broader point of view the intra- and interculturality of Hungarians and Slovaks: their coexistence, cooperation and diverse creative efforts. It points out the importance of Haanʼs personal contacts within the contemporary social environment, which is also specified in his personal letters. Memoirs are a testimony of an intellectual from the second half of the 19 century; to today's reader they will reveal the “strange, interesting, Hungarian” atmosphere of the time - in the background of social, political, historical, cultural and literary attributes. The description of the characteristic features of the city is a symbol of the peaceful coexistence of nations and nationalities in the Lowlands. In fact, the article presents the complex activity of an unusual personality: a Hungarian historian and a Slovak priest in one person, Lajos Haan, whose texts are interesting and current for today.

Proper names and minority language laws in Slovakia

Abstract The use of official proper names is regulated by laws that contribute to the social codification and standardization of propria registration. The paper deals with minority language laws concerning the use of proper names of national minorities in Slovakia. The author gives an overview of the laws, or more precisely paragraphs dealing with the use of official anthroponyms, toponyms and names of institutions. In Slovakia, the largest national minority is Hungarian, so the paper gives examples of using the proper names of Hungarians living in Slovakia, that is, from Slovak-Hungarian bilingual municipalities. In an ethnically mixed environment, the variability of the forms of propria increases, since in the official (and non-official) sphere, proper names can be used not only in the state language, but also in the minority language. In bilingual municipalities, bilingual toponyms and names of institutions appear in both languages. Members of national minorities have the option of entering a personal name in the Register Offices in their mother tongue. Minority proper names fulfil an ethno-identification function, they are a source of individual and collective identity.

Vliv politické situace na identitu Rusínů na Slovensku a Ukrajině The / Influence of the Political Situation in Slovakia and Ukraine on the Identity of Rusyns

The main topic of this article is the influence of the political situation in Slovakia and Ukraine on the identity of the Rusyn minority. The purpose is to clarify if the political situation in these countries can influence the identity of these people, and how. First, the Rusyn people and their identity, including the factors that are most influential to identity, are discussed. The author focuses on the phenomena such as culture, religion, and Rusyn organizations and their influence on the Rusyn identity. Is it possible that the political situation can somehow influence this identity through these factors? This article compares the past and current situation of the Rusyn minorities in Slovakia and Ukraine, as well as the different situations in both countries to the other. The methods used during the field research in Slovakia, Ukraine and Poland include interviews and the participant observation.

Češi v „Domovinské válce“ – Slavonie 1991 – 1995

Professional article „Czechs in Domovinska war – Slavonia 1991–1995“ was created as a logical product of the work of the author, which deals with the Czech and Slovak minority in the former Yugoslavia and builds on his previous work looking into the involvement of Czechs and Slovaks to the fight of liberation of the peoples of the former Yugoslavia in World War II. The main theme of the article is the impact of the so-called Domovinska war in Croatia in the years 1991–1995 to the Czech minority in Slavonia and the involvement of the inhabitants of the Czech nationality in the combating in this war. When examining these issues, the author came from archival sources, primarily from materials stored in the archives of the Association of Czechs in the Republic of Croatia in Daruvar, from a few articles written on the subject, the study of contemporary newspapers and interviews and consultations with inhabitants of Daruvar and the surrounding area. The result of the work is not only presented in this article, but also in many other materials and incentives to continue working with regard to the entire Croatia, the Slovak minority and on the participation of Czech and Slovak soldiers in the mission UNPROFOR. From the perspective of the author, this is the „introductional“ work for extended research and publishing activities in the area, he chose.

Poland – Slovak regional relationships and development of minority Slovak schools in Poland in the Upper Orava region

The study deals with the situation of the minority (Slovak) education in the Upper Orava region in Poland. The situation and overall state of development of minority education is evaluated mainly from the perspective of historical development of social conditions that not only influenced the school policy, but in some aspects, also reflected the wider understood development of pedagogical thinking in Poland. Over roughly more than two centuries (from the 18th century to the present), a number of historical milestones in Polish – Slovak relationships have taken place, which also affected the functioning of Slovak minority schools in Poland. It is reflected in the territorial and language disputes that affect mainly the national identity of the Slovaks. This paper reflects on the meaning and mission of regional minority schools in this border area of Poland. It emphasizes their unifying role, promoting good coexistence and the formation of an honest and civic open national (ethnic) identity of Slovaks living in Poland in the Upper Orava region.

SLOVAK-HUNGARIAN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS IN THE EVE OF «SMALL WAR»

The article is devoted to Slovak-Hungarian diplomatic relations in 1938 − 1939 which concerned the determination of the borderline between the states. The aim of the study is to clarify some of the diplomatic relations that preceded the Slovak-Hungarian «Small war» in 1939. Emphasis is placed on highlighting the causes of the Slovak-Hungarian border conflict, on Budapest’s rejection of the borders that have arisen with the new Versailles-Washington system, and on the choice of revanchism policy. The process of transformation of peace negotiations for the settlement of the borderline into the military action of Hungary is shown. The issue of border redrawing still existed with the signing of the Saint-Germain and Trianon treaties and became a major problem for Czechoslovak-Hungarian relations in the interwar period. The main motivation to redraw the borders was the issue of the Hungarian-speaking national minority in Slovakia for the sake of achieving ethnic justice. A significant catalyst in the territorial encroachments of Hungary was A. Hitler’s support and his diplomatic success secured by the Anschluss of Austria and the annexation of Sudeten region. The work of commissions aimed at border redrawing is considered. Germany’s role in the arbitration of the issue, its support for Hungarian aggression, and Budapest’s active diplomatic relations with Berlin are determined. The focus of attention is also on the question of Germany’s influence on the policy of the newly created independent Slovakia and its imperative. At the same time, the formal reasons for the war used by Hungary to satisfy its territorial claims are considered. The overall assessment of the Slovak military potential in the run-up to the «Small war» is given, as well as the young state’s unpreparedness for such military conflicts.

Kde sa chodí voliť? Faktory ovplyvňujúce geografické rozloženie volebnej účasti v slovenských parlamentných voľbách

The main objective of the research was to test the predictive ability of five voter turnout theories in the conditions of Slovak society (the societal modernization theory, the theory of disenchanted voting, the socioeconomic status theory, the mobilization theory and the theory of habitual voting). To test the predictive ability of theories, three hypotheses were formulated and verified using quantitative methods such as multiple regression analysis and additional univariate statistical analyses. The results have shown that all five theories are relevant for explanation of the map of electoral participation in Slovakia. However, the interpretative contribution of individual theories has changed over time. While the theory of disenchanted voting was very relevant for explanation of regional differences in voter turnout in the 1990s and early 2000s, the societal modernization theory and the socioeconomic status theory gained more interpretative power in the 2010s. It was indicated by a significant contribution of independent variables such as the proportion university graduates or the net migration rate to the regression models for turnout. The effect of mobilization theory has been observed in the case of a positive contribution of the variable “the share of Roman Catholics in municipality” to the regression models, which has been steadily rising since 2006. On the contrary, the share of Roma population in municipality has been influencing the electoral turnout in a negative way. It can be interpreted as a sign of resignation on the opportunity to use elections to achieve collective objectives among the Roma community. However, the share of Roma population in municipality can also be a proxy for some other variables, such as the poverty rate, thanks to ecological fallacy of the regression models. The electoral turnout in the Hungarian-speaking municipalities has changed significantly in the last two parliamentary elections, from regions with significantly above-average turnout to regions with below-average turnout. It can be explained, in part, by a split among political parties representing Hungarian minority in Slovakia, following the mobilization theory. Finally, the high turnout in small municipalities and the significantly positive contribution of the share of seniors to regression models have proved the explanatory power of the habitual voting theory in contemporary Slovakia. The process of transition of voter behavior in Slovakia is geographically uneven, as is witnessed by a greater validity of modernization and socioeconomic status theories in the western regions and the theory of habitual voting and mobilization theory in the eastern regions. The explanation of regional and local differences in electoral participation is becoming more similar to models observed in the West European democracies. However, significant differences remain, which is one of the reasons for close observation of the electoral participation map of Slovakia in a future geographical research.

READING HABITS AND SELF-ASSESSMENT OF READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS AMONG HUNGARIAN STUDENTS IN SLOVAKIA

This paper introduces the results of a survey examining the reading habits and self-assessment of reading comprehension skills of Hungarian students in Slovakia. As the largest ethnic minority in Slovakia is Hungarian, it has extensive primary and secondary native language school networks. The purpose of this research is to map the reading habits and self-assessment of reading comprehension skills of students to answer the question how these subjective views of different age groups change and what indicators (social background, school success) they correlate with. We have chosen questionnaires composed of 28 questions as a method for examining the students’ reading habits. The total number of survey respondents was 131. There were 98 respondents from average schools where reading comprehension and reading habits are not taught separately. In that case three age groups were involved: 23 students at a secondary grammar school, 38 pupils in the second stage of primary school and 37 pupils in the first stage of primary school. Interestingly, there is no big difference in reading attitudes among the different age groups. The respondents’ answers prove that only a fraction of students read in their free time. On the other hand, the groups, regardless of age, subjectively claim that they do not have problems with reading comprehension tasks. They claim that reading is easy for them, so they understand everything that they read. It can be concluded that these statements are highly controversial with the results of international surveys. At a later stage of the research the survey was conducted in a primary school where pupils have regularly reading comprehension classes. The number of respondents from this school was 33. There were 21 pupils from the second stage and 12 pupils from the first stage of primary school. Based on the results, there are considerable differences in the answers provided by the two groups. The pupils from the primary school with reading comprehension classes differently judge their level of understanding. These results have potential implications for further research to determine the reading habits and reading comprehension skills of Hungarian pupils in Slovakia.

Art as a space for practicing localness

This article deals with art functioning as a practice of localness and an identity activity. Discussing two examples – the town of Kovačica in Serbia, inhabited by the Slovak minority, and the Nikiszowiec housing estate located in Silesia, Poland – the author shows how the so-called naïve art today participates in the creation of a sense of belonging to a given place, its memory, the image of its past and the articulation of ethnic and cultural specificity, both on a micro and macro scale (region, national culture, state). In both cases, localness is treated as a task and as a project. Artistic activities undertaken by the individuals from the local communities serve to shape and display the iconographic codes and visual representations, as well as to stimulate the institutionalisation of activities related to the experience and identity of the place. Such instrumentalisation also connotes the reframing of art – a change in its communicative, civilizational or ideological-political context – and leads to the transformation of its semantics, social existence and its status in the field of artistic practices.

SLOVAKS IN YUGOSLAVIA AND IN ITS TERRITORIES UNDER FOREIGN OCCUPATION DURING WORLD WAR II

Slovak minority has been co-creating a multicultural character of contemporary Serbia since the first half of the 18th century. The Slovaks living in former Yugoslavia as an integral part of the Yugoslav society also had to experience the turbulent events at the turn of the 1930s and 1940s. After the Axis invasion and destruction of Yugoslavia in April 1941 the Slovak community, historically settled in Bačka, Banat and Srem, was divided into three countries/occupational zones. Slovaks living in Srem became the citizens of independent Croatia, Slovaks living in Bačka became the citizens of the Hungarian Kingdom and Slovaks from Banat lived in territories under direct German occupation. The paper portrays main features of this minority’s political and cultural life in wartime Yugoslavia and its territories under foreign occupation, core problems of existence within changing regimes and the attitude of the Slovak minority towards the Slovak State (Slovak Republic) established on 14 March 1939 with an emphasis on religiously motivated conflicts between the mostly Lutheran Slovak minority in Yugoslavia and the Catholic regime of Hlinka’s Slovak People’s Party (the ruling and only allowed political party in the Slovak State/Republic).

The Issue of Higher Education for Minorities in Slovakia in the Materials of the Government Council of the Slovak Socialist Republic for Nationalities in the 1970s.

The Institute of Social Sciences of the CSPS of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice is an interdisciplinary workplace of social sciences and humanities with a primary research focus on the area of Central Europe in the field of social psychology, sociology and history.

Hetero- and Auto-Stereotypes of Ethnic Minorities in Slovakia

The Institute of Social Sciences of the CSPS of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice is an interdisciplinary workplace of social sciences and humanities with a primary research focus on the area of Central Europe in the field of social psychology, sociology and history.

Changes in media culture of minorities in Slovakia between 2004 and 2017 on the basis of questionnaire research (A comparative analysis)

The Institute of Social Sciences of the CSPS of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice is an interdisciplinary workplace of social sciences and humanities with a primary research focus on the area of Central Europe in the field of social psychology, sociology and history.

Countering Hate Speech on Facebook: The Case of the Roma Minority in Slovakia

This article explores hate speech against the Roma in Slovakia on Facebook between April 2016 and January 2017 and the impact of fact-checking and personal experience strategies in countering hate speech through a quasi-experimental research design. It examines how the Roma were constructed and how discussion participants reacted to our pro-Roma interventions. The research sample consisted of 60 Facebook discussions (with more than 7,500 comments) on Roma-related topics posted by the profiles of various members of the Slovak Parliament and the most popular online news media outlets. Qualitative content analysis revealed that the Roma in Facebook discussions were constructed primarily in a negative sense, as asocial criminals misusing welfare benefits. This study demonstrated that Facebook discussion participants presenting anti-Roma attitudes did not use any research evidence to support their constructions. It also demonstrated that pro-Roma comments encouraged other participants with a pro-Roma attitude to become involved.

The Troubled Pasts of Hungarian and German Minorities in Slovakia and Their Representation in Museums

Abstract In the 20th century, the two world wars reshaped the map of Central Europe as well as the status of Central Europe’s diverse societies. In my article, I focus on the Hungarian and German minorities in Slovakia and the representation of their problematic historical past in contemporary Slovak museums. More specifically, I zoom in on the exhibition Exchanged Homes displayed in Bratislava, which aims to commemorate the fate of Hungarians, Germans, and Slovaks, all of whom were affected by the population transfers after World War II. Based on the concept of memorial museums theorized by Paul Williams, I aim to show how the different exhibitions engage with the traumatic past of forceful resettlement. By offering multifaceted memories of a troubled past, these exhibitions avoid categorizing “victims” and “perpetrators” along national or ethnic lines. My paper thus analyzes the concepts and components of the exhibitions—the context of the postwar events, oral history interviews, and objects of everyday use that should bring the visitor closer to the experience of the people who were forced to leave. I argue that exhibitions of this sort have the ability to challenge the dominant historical narrative focusing on a national “Slovak” history and help the process of reconciliation between the Slovak majority society, and the Hungarian and German minorities.

Ethnic Politics of the Hungarian Minorities in Slovakia, Romania, and Serbia in 2015

In the post-communist period, the driving forces behind minority rights protection have been international—the incentives surrounding membership in the European Union and relations with Hungary—and domestic—the minority’s capacity to gain representation, and therefore leverage, in the political system. In this analysis of the current state of minority affairs, we focus largely on the domestic context—the politics of Hungarian minority representation in Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia—and the ramifications of relations with Hungary. In this overview, we will contextualize the key strategic situation in all three cases: the demographic challenge of inexorably declining minority populations. Given the size of their electorates, neither the half-million Slovak Hungarians nor the 1.2 million Romanian Hungarians can afford the kind of partisan split that could push all minority parties below the five percent electoral threshold. In Serbia, the Hungarian minority of around a quarter million benefits from the waiving of the electoral threshold. Nonetheless, they are a distinct minority even in Vojvodina, the region of their greatest concentration. We will also review ongoing controversies that have surrounded minority issues since the collapse of communism: language, education, and the issue of territorial and cultural autonomy.

ADAPTATION TO THE INFORMATION SOCIETY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN SLOVAKIA

The information and communication technology (ICT) is an important phenomenon of contemporary society, in particular in developed countries. The massive use of ICT has created an information society. Changes caused by the increasing importance of information and ICT are not only technological or economic, but are social, directly affecting the lives of citizens. The ICT usage offers a great opportunity for people with disabilities. Important factors for enhancing quality of life for this part of the population include mapping the current state and the increasing level of digital literacy. The aim of this paper is to view digital literacy in the context of social and digital integration for people with disabilities in the society of the Slovak Republic and especially present results of social research in digital literacy of this minority in Slovakia. The study involves a quantitative type of social research. The techniques of data collection for the research included an electronic questionnaire form. The technology for developing the questionnaire involved Google forms. The results of this research show how people with disabilities could adapt to the information society.