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AHF Book Review: "Transylvania Today: Diversity at Risk"


AHF Book Review: "Transylvania Today: Diversity at Risk," edited by Csaba Zoltani. Written by noted experts, describes the issues faced by minorities in Transylvania in their effort to retain their identity in an adverse environment. The essays of the book capture some of the fault lines in Transylvania, created by the incorporation of a territory with western traditions into one of Byzantine culture. Minorities, according to the official census, constitute nearly one-quarter of the population of Romania. Contributors include Amb. Geza Jeszenszky, Prof. Andrew Ludanyi, Tilhamer Czika, Viktor Segesvary, and Andreas Bereznay. Cover photo by Stephen Spinder6/17/2014 - AHF Book Review: "Transylvania Today: Diversity at Risk," edited by Csaba Zoltani. Written by noted experts, describes the issues faced by minorities in Transylvania in their effort to retain their identity in an adverse environment. The essays of the book capture some of the fault lines in Transylvania, created by the incorporation of a territory with western traditions into one of Byzantine culture. Minorities, according to the official census, constitute nearly one-quarter of the population of Romania. Contributors include Amb. Geza Jeszenszky, Prof. Andrew Ludanyi, Tilhamer Czika, Viktor Segesvary, and Andreas Bereznay.

The fascinating world of people who intend to survive, retain their ethnic identity, and do more than go with the flow is highlighted. The contributors survey the facts on the ground regarding the reality that determines the quality of the lives of minorities in Transylvania with emphasis on, but by no means exclusively on the larger minority groups. After a historical overview, the book details the markers of the minority landscape in Transylvania. A chapter on the Saxons, German-speaking descendants, who have lived over eight centuries in Transylvania, is presented. Close-up of the once vibrant, now diminished presence of Jews is detailed. The Roma speak a variety of languages, are economically disadvantaged and often victims of discrimination. Their struggles to survive are discussed in detail. Churches play a central role in the lives of indigenous minority communities. Separate chapters deal with the Catholic, Unitarian, Reformed, and the Greek Catholic Churches. The lagging restitution of property seized from the churches and minority individuals by the Communists has its own chapter. Indigenous minority languages, as well issues related to their use in education are treated separately. Additional chapters treat the judiciary as it affects minorities and the problems of objectivity in the press. A final essay addresses the means that some groups feel is the key to minority survival: autonomy.

Transylvania Today: Diversity at Risk AHF Book Review:

Transylvania Today: Diversity at Risk
Csaba K. Zoltani (ed.), Budapest: Osiris Publishing (2013)

The first impression that mesmerized me, when I took the book in my hands, was the wonderful photograph taken by Stephen Spinder, which shows two young girls in ethnic costumes and two elderly women in Transylvania standing in front of a traditional Sekler’s gate. It immediately triggered a series of thoughts and concerns, as I thought of those girls in the picture for a moment. How much chance do they have studying in their native language in a higher education institution? Have they been bullied by their classmates in school for speaking in Hungarian? Will they have the legal option to choose between citizenships or retain both? Will they be able to proclaim that they are de facto bilingual citizens? Ultimately, what are their chances in the future for maintaining their native values, traditions and language? Hoping to get answers to these questions, I anxiously opened and read Zoltani’s book with high expectations.

Transylvania Today is an all-encompassing collection of essays concerning minority rights in 21th century Romania. The book explores the complexities and injustices that ethnic minorities face in Romania today, particularly Hungarians in Transylvania. Csaba K. Zoltani ascertains that even though nearly 1/4 of the population is considered minorities, their interests are not represented proportionately, if at all. Unfortunately, historical misrepresentations, delayed property restitutions, deficiencies of the judicial system and a barrage of discriminatory legislation in general all suppress the rights and freedoms of minorities in the region. I highly recommend Transylvania Today to scholars, researchers and students or to anyone interested in minority rights in Eastern Europe today. The structure of the book enables all readers to grasp the heart of the problem and shed light on the issues themselves. By providing a detailed historical background in the first few chapters, even those who hitherto have not known much about Transylvania or the problems that most minorities have to face there, will quickly understand the issues at stake.

The essays cover a wide spectrum of issues, such as: historical analysis, demographical changes throughout the centuries, disputes over historical and geographical names, the delicate subject of restoring historical monuments and historical figures, issues regarding different religions and church restorations, language laws and rights in the past and today, the overall state of education, the disposition of the Romanian press and media towards minorities, protracted restitutions and a denial of autonomy. These topics are then divided into three major sections: geography & destiny, state and church relations from 1944 to the present and legal issues. Each essay essentially provides an overview of the problem areas discussed, details a list of actions that could potentially improve the status quo and propose possible solutions for tackling each specific issue.

The book is quite successful in providing a complex and independent analysis regarding the current situation of minorities in Transylvania and explains all the major issues and reasons behind discrimination, the attitude, and the lack of progress that they have to endure up to the modern day, despite being a member country of the European Union. Although some improvements have been made, there is still a long way to go.

The famous slogan of the European Union: “unity in diversity” is far from being validated in Romania today. According to Zoltani, this slogan remains just a slogan in that country, while the European Parliament and the European Commission sit idly as they shy away from confronting ethnic discrimination. Analysts repeatedly confirm that Romania gets away with open-ended and rampant ethnic discrimination, which makes this country the pariah of Europe (which does not absolve Slovakia and the Ukraine from similar discrimination practices).  

Contributors: Geza Jeszenszky, Andras Bereznay, Lajos Asztalos, Jeno Muradin, Csaba K. Zoltani, Victor Segesvary, Attila Gido, Janos Nagy, Marta Jozsef, Andrew Ludanyi, Laszlo Bura, Vilmos Kolumban, Sandor Kovacs & Lehel Molnar, Zsuzsa Hadhazy, Janos Pentek, Kinga Magdola Mendel, Attila Ambrus, Emod Veress, Tihamer Czika.

Sabine Topolansky
June 2014
----------------------
Sabine Topolansky is a Graduate Student at the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs in Washington, D.C. and serves as an Intern with the American Hungarian Federation.

Sections include:

• Note on Names
• Figures, Maps, and Tables
• Illustrations
• Editorial Comments
• Transylvania: its Past and Present, by Geza Jeszenzky
• The Evolving Demography of Transylvania, by Andreas Bereznay
• What's in a Name? Place Names and their Significance, by Lajos Asztalos
• Monuments as Living History, by Jeno Muradin
• Legacies of Former Wars, by Csaba K. Zoltani
• The Death of an Historic Cemetery, by Victor Segesvary
• Jewish Existence in Transylvania, by Attila Gido
• Favorite Targets of Prejudice: Roma in Transylvania, by Marta Jozsa
• Csango Denationalization: Romania's Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?, by Andrew Ludanyi
• Armenians in Transylvania: A Faded Presence but a Legacy that Inspires, by Csaba K. Zoltani
• The romanian State and the Roman catholic Church from 1944 to the Present, by Laszlo Bura
• The Transylvanian Hungarian Reformed Church after 1945, by Vilmos Kolumban
• The Transylvanian Unitarian Church, by Sandor Kovacs and B. Lehel Molnar
• The Romanian Greek Catholic Church, by Zsuzsa Hadhazy
• Language Rights in Romania, by Janos Pentek
• Old and New Challenges of Hungarian-Language Education in Romania, by Kinga Magolna Mandel
• Limits and Possibilities in University Education, by Janos Pentek
• Minorities in the Romanian Press: An Ambiguous Picture, by Attila Ambrus
• The Legal Status of National Minorities in Romania: An Essay on Legal Rights Policy, by Emod Veress
• Sanctioned Dispossession: The Lagging Restitution of Private and Communal Property, by Csaba K. Zoltani
• Twenty-one Years of Struggle for Hungarian Autonomy in Transylvania, by Tilhamer Czika

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"The famous slogan of the European Union: 'unity in diversity' is far from being validated in Romania today"

The author, Csaba K. Zoltani, was a senior researcher with the Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He has authored numerous articles on issues related to human and minority rights, including an essay written, with AHF President Frank Koszorus, for the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs entitled,"Group Rights Defuse Tension."

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Why So Many Hungarians Across the Border?

How Hungary Shrank: Ostensibly in the name of national self-determination, the Treaty dismembered the thousand-year-old Kingdom of Hungary, a self-contained, geographically and economically coherent and durable formation in the Carpathian Basin and boasting the longest lasting historical borders in Europe. It was imposed on Hungary without any negotiation, drawing artificial borders in gross violation of the ethnic principle, it also transferred over three million indigenous ethnic Hungarians and over 70% of the country's territory to foreign rule.One thousand years of nation building successfully delineated groups based on culture, religion, geography, and other attributes to create the countries with which we are so familiar. While some Western European nations would continue power struggles and princely battles and civil wars, Hungary, founded in 896, was a peaceful multi-ethnic state for a 1000 years and her borders were virtually unchanged. Until 1920...

The Treaty of Trianon in 1920... in the aftermath of WWI, was extremely harsh on Hungary and unjustifiably one-sided. The resulting "treaty" lost Hungary an unprecedented 2/3 of her territory, and 1/2 of her total population or 1/3 of her Hungarian-speaking population. Add to this the loss of up to 90% of vast natural resources, industry, railways, and other infrastructure. The clear winner of the land grab, was Rumania, who, established only 60 years earlier, more than doubled in size overnight.

Ethnic Distribution in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1910 (Hungarians shown in red)

Ethnic Distribution in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1910 (Hungarians shown in red)
[download extra large image 4962x3509]
[download large image 1000x707]

Hungarian populations declined significantly after forced removals such as the Benes Decrees and other pograms, the effects of WWI, and Trianon in 1920. With continued pressure and discriminative policies such as the 2009 Slovak Language Law, this trend continued over the past 90 years.

Hungarian populations declined significantly after forced removals such as the Benes Decrees and other pograms, the effects of WWI, and Trianon in 1920. With continued pressure and discriminative policies sucha s the 2009 Slovak Language Law, this trend continued over the past 90 years.

  • In Upper Hungary (awarded to Slovakia, Czechoslovakia): 1,687,977 Slovaks and 1,233,454 others (mostly Hungarians - 886,044, Germans, Ruthenians and Roma) [according to the 1921 census, however, there were 1,941,942 Slovaks and 1,058,928 others]
  • In Carpathian Ruthenia (awarded to Czechoslovakia): 330,010 Ruthenians and 275,932 others (mostly Hungarians, Germans, Romanians, and Slovaks)
  • In Transylvania (awarded to Romania): 2,831,222 Romanians (53.8%) and 2,431,273 others (mostly Hungarians - 1,662,948 (31.6%) and Germans - 563,087 (10.7%)). The 1919 and 1920 Transylvanian censuses indicate a greater percentage of Romanians (57.1%/57.3%) and a smaller Hungarian minority (26.5%/25.5%)
  • In Vojvodina 510,754 Serbs and 1,002,229 others (mostly Hungarians 425,672 and Germans 324,017)
  • In Vojvodina and Croatia-Slavonia combined (awarded to Yugoslavia): 2,756,000 Croats and Serbs and 1,366,000 others (mostly Hungarians and Germans)
  • In Burgenland (awarded to Austria): 217,072 Germans and 69,858 others (mainly Croatian and Hungarian)

[read more on the Treaty of Trianon]

AHF Statements on Trianon:

Selected AHF Articles on Rumania:


Adobe You will need the free Adobe Reader to open the following files. Click the image to download.

Articles and Essays by AHF Members

  • "NATO Enlargement" by Frank Koszorus Jr. March 29, 2004
    Remarks on the Occasion of the Enlargement of NATO, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. [download]
    ---
  • "Nato Enlargement And Minority Rights: Prerequisites To Security" by Frank Koszorus, Jr., April 2003
    A memorandum that was submitted to Robert A. Bradtke, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, and Heather A. Conley, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs during a roundtable discussion on "NATO Enlargement and the Current State of the Trans-Atlantic Alliance." This submission follows several other intiatives, including submissions to Lord Roberston, Secretary General of NATO. [download]
    ---
  • “Nato Enlargement: Promoting Western Values, Strengthening The Alliance” by Frank Koszorus, Jr., April 29, 2003
    A Statement Before The United States Senate Committee On Foreign Relations.
    [download]
    ---
  • "U.S. Senate Unanimously Ratifies Nato Treaty; Senators Raise Rights Of Minorities: Federation Supports Efforts Aimed At Encouraging Romania And Slovakia To Respect Rights Of Hungarian Minorities And Restore Communal Properties" - Press Release by Zoltan Bagdy, May 9, 2003 [download]

Congressional Resolutions and Records

  • H.RES 191 - A RESOLUTION urging the "prompt and fair restitution of church properties by Romania and Slovakia - TOM LANTOS / TOM TANCREDO (April 6th 2005) in the House of Representatives [download]
  • A RESOLUTION REGARDING THE ISSUE OF TRANSYLVANIAN HUNGARIANS -- HON. DONALD E. `BUZ' LUKENS (Extension of Remarks - February 26, 1990) in the House of Representatives [download]
  • VIOLENCE IN TRANSYLVANIA -- HON. DON RITTER (Extension of Remarks - March 22, 1990) in the House of Representatives [download]
  • Transylvanian Monitor #14: Property Restitution.
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