This study examines the challenges of digital and political socialization among 21st-century youth, with a focus on new vulnerabilities arising from technological shifts such as AI and algorithmic influence. The author argues that traditional socialization agents (family, school) have been partially replaced by digital platforms where algorithm-driven filter bubbles and echo chambers can isolate young people from authentic social discourse. The paper analyzes shifts in Hungarian political mental culture, noting that the apathy characteristic of previous generations has been replaced by a more active „follower” attitude among today’s youth, who remain highly susceptible to disinformation. Ultimately, the study underscores the necessity of renewing civic education and pedagogical methodologies to safeguard democratic values.
In August 1945, an interesting and valuable report was prepared on the events what happened at the end of World War II and since then at the Railway Directorate Szeged of the Hungarian State Railways. The report, required by the Directorate, gave a detailed account of the events and processes in the various departments and major service locations. Although the railway infrastructure in the Southeast Hungary suffered relatively little damage – thanks to the rapid advance of the front – the removal of rolling stock and the destruction of major river bridges meant that rail traffic in the region was very slow to resume. Even on the lines where regular traffic was restored, journey times were several times longer than before, but on most branch lines there was no traffic at all, with military transport at most. In addition to the destroyed or damaged railway infrastructure, the housing of railwaymen fleeing from across the border and the terrible public safety and Soviet military atrocities that threatened railwaymen (too) were a constant problem for railwaymen.
István Horthy of Nagybánya, the son of Regent Miklós Horthy, pursued a life path distinct from his father’s. Though he later assumed military and political roles—notably as Deputy Regent— his core identity was that of a technocrat committed to innovation. Breaking family tradition, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering and joined MÁVAG (Hungarian State Railway Machine Works) in Budapest, rising to CEO in 1937. In 1940, he was appointed head of the Hungarian Royal Railways (MÁV), a role influenced by familial connections but also marking a departure from decades of precedent. Given MÁV’s strategic importance as Hungary’s largest enterprise during wartime, this appointment demanded a leader who was both politically reliable and operationally agile. Horthy’s tenure coincided with the Second Vienna Award (1940) and Hungary’s invasion of the Southern Territories (1941), which expanded national territory. These territorial revisions assigned MÁV critical responsibilities. In Northern Transylvania, railways transferred to Hungarian control were severely neglected, requiring infrastructure rehabilitation and border-adjusted track realignments to integrate them into the national network. In the Southern Territories, retreating Yugoslav troops inflicted major damage on rail lines and bridges. Under Horthy’s leadership, MÁV addressed these challenges while implementing social measures, including the settlement of pension claims of workers dismissed from the successor states – Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Romania – in disciplinary proceedings.
The military conflicts which have shaped the opening decades of the eighteenth century, such as the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1713/1714), the Great Northern War (1700–1721), and the Russo-Turkish War, also exerted a decisive influence on the foreign policy of the Rákóczi’s War of Independence (1703–1711). An important episode in this context was the establishment of Russo-Hungarian contacts in 1707, and the treaty concluded between Tsar Peter I. and Prince Francis II Rákóczi in Warsaw. Under these terms, Rákóczi’s first permanent representative at the court of Peter I. was Sándor Nedeczky (1654–1719). Born into an old lesser noble family, Nedeczky pursued legal studies and had previously served within the royal administration of Hungary. By the autumn of 1706, he had already become a devotee of Rákóczi. Speaking several languages, Nedeczky was dispatched to Russia in the autumn of 1707, where he carried out his diplomatic duties faithfully until the end of the War of Independence in 1711. He met and negotiated with the highest-ranking figures of the tsarist government (including the tsar himself and the chancellor), as well as with foreign diplomats and military officers. During his stay in Russia, Nedeczky also witnessed the everyday realities of the Great Northern War. The present study publishes substantial, previously unpublished diplomatic, political, and military details drawn from the reports and letters he sent to Rákóczi, during the „pre-Poltava” period (1707–1709).
In the nineteenth century, Bihar County was considered one of the largest and most complex administrative units in Hungary. The social changes brought about by modernization fundamentally transformed the county’s administrative and parliamentary representation systems. This study examines the delineation of electoral districts following the April Laws of 1848 and the subsequent boundary changes, highlighting the roles played by political events, modernization, demographic shifts, and urbanization. It provides a detailed discussion of the consequences of the 1876 reorganization of county borders, the special administrative statuses of Debrecen and Nagyvárad/Oradea, as well as the new territorial demands arising from infrastructural development and population growth. Drawing on contemporary statistical data and scholarly literature, the analysis sheds light on the internal imbalances within the electoral districts, which became increasingly pronounced by the turn of the century and ultimately led to the preparatory steps toward suffrage reform.
The Order of Vitéz was a newly established institution of the Horthy era, founded by Miklós Horthy himself. While the national-level history of the organization is relatively well documented—despite the persistence of several unresolved questions—regional studies remain largely underexplored. The present research seeks to address this gap by focusing on Heves County, whose Vitézi Szék (County Seat of the Order) has not, to date, been the subject of scholarly inquiry. The primary objective of this study is to partially reconstruct the history of the Vitézi Szék of Heves County and to analyze the social composition of its members as of 1936.
Competence theory has developed at the intersection of several academic disciplines and has become central to understanding labour market adaptability and employability. A clearly defined system of competencies not only shapes the content of education but also fundamentally influences the extent to which workers can meet the expectations of the labour market. Consequently, the absence of key competencies can lead to a specific form of labour shortage—qualitative labour shortage. This study aims to examine the extent to which this type of skill mismatch is present in the three counties of Hungary’s Northern Great Plain region, with particular attention to cases where jobseekers lack the skills and knowledge required for available positions. The empirical analysis is based on labour market data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) for the period 2019–2024, with a focus on the ratio of job vacancies to registered jobseekers. To further illustrate and interpret labor market mismatches, the study also applies the Beveridge curve as a visual analytical tool, which helps identify structural and qualitative labour shortages at the regional level. The quantitative analysis is supported by a review of national and international literature, with special emphasis on the relationship between competence-based education and regional economic development. Based on the findings, the study offers recommendations for improving the alignment between educational supply and labor market demand.
Talent development is one of the most complex areas of education, requiring a high degree of pedagogical sensitivity and placing numerous challenges and responsibilities on educators. Recognizing students’ hidden or evident abilities, and consciously and purposefully developing them, is of paramount importance not only for the individual’s personal fulfillment but also for the advancement of society and the effective utilization of its resources. Supporting talent in the right direction contributes in the long term to innovation, economic and cultural progress, and the strengthening of social cohesion. Teachers play a pivotal and multifaceted role in this complex process. Educators must not rely solely on their own experience and intuition; it is essential that they possess up-to-date theoretical knowledge as well. Familiarity with and application of psychological and educational science models enable them to make informed choices among methods for identifying and developing talent. Successful talent development requires various competencies, including empathy, the ability to differentiate, the support of individual learning paths, and reflective pedagogical thinking. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the theoretical foundations and practical implementation of talent development. It places particular emphasis on which theoretical models and research findings can offer a reliable basis for talent identification, as well as the skills and mindsets educators need in order to effectively support learners with diverse ability profiles. Furthermore, the paper explores the practical difficulties and dilemmas teachers may face in everyday educational practice and offers suggestions for addressing these challenges.
Bögöz, a settlement located in Székelyföld, has played a significant role since the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the 1333 tax records. Local landowners not only controlled the land but also played a crucial role in the economic and social life of the community. The serfs ensured the sustainability of the estates through farming and tribute payments, while the nobility managed economic establishments such as mills and inns, which provided both income for them and development opportunities for the local population. Patronage was particularly important, as nobles supported church constructions and other infrastructure projects that became central elements of village life. These social and economic relationships are also reflected in legal disputes, which highlight conflicts over land ownership and their impact on the community. The analysis of historical maps and legal sources reveals that landownership not only determined individual economic status but also shaped the settlement’s structure and long-term social hierarchy.
This study investigates the value system inherent in foster parenting to clarify the perceived importance of various characteristics attributed to a „good foster parent.” Utilizing a quantitative approach, foster parents were asked to rate fourteen predefined traits, categorized into moral expectations, practical skills, and given attributes. The findings largely confirmed the initial hypothesis that moral values would be rated highest, while attributes like strictness or religious practice would show more varied responses. Notably, practical aspects such as the willingness to seek and accept help, and viewing foster care as a vocation, were also ranked among the most crucial characteristics. Conversely, self-sacrifice was deemed relatively less important than anticipated. The study reveals that the perceived importance of these values is predominantly personality-dependent, showing minimal correlation with socio-cultural backgrounds or specific aspects of the foster parents’ careers, apart from minor links between altruism and education level, and vocational commitment with long-term fostering plans. These insights carry significant implications for the recruitment, training, and support of foster parents.
In the study of the process of secularization, functional differentiation, which is a distinctive and even defining feature of modern societies, is particularly important. In this sense, different sectors of society (e.g. politics, economy, education) are becoming increasingly autonomous and no longer require religious legitimacy. According to Niklas Luhmann, who approaches sociology from the perspective of systems theory, social systems such as law, politics, and economics operate according to an autonomous logical mechanism. Two years after Luhmann’s death in 1998, André Kieserling published his systems theory interpretation of the sociology of religion, which was itself a theoretical milestone. Religion, Kieserling suggests, is a functional subsystem of modern society, which, like all other subsystems, is shaped by autopoietic and meaning-rich communication. Religion purports to explain, without contradiction, the relationship between the transcendent and the immanent in everyday life. Faith becomes a personal end product the power of which rests in its uniqueness and intimacy. In modern society, religion has become a social subsystem, now so complex that a separate science, theology, has been built around it. The systems theory of religion addresses important issues ranging from meaning and development to secularization, and it turns decades of sociological assumptions on their head. It offers a new vocabulary and a fresh philosophical and sociological approach to one of society’s most fundamental phenomena.
According to Lakoff and Ricoeur’s concept of conceptual and living metaphor, these poetic images are not only part of everyday language use, but are in fact crucial for conceptualisation, world-understanding, understanding and interpretation. The following paper places the collective identity traits of Hungarian society within this metaphorical framework and links István Bibó’s concept of Hungarian communal hysteria to the diagnosis of complex postural stress disorder. The aim of this line of thought is to contribute to a more complex understanding of the collective nervous system through a new metaphor.
In this study, the author explores the influence of the digital space on social sciences, focusing on sociology, cultural anthropology, and social work. The central theme is how these disciplines find opportunities in the digital world while adapting to the digital society. Two main aspects are highlighted: the digital presence of these fields and the tools available within the digital space to achieve disciplinary goals. While the digital space enhances knowledge access, it also leads to new forms of deprivation, brings new social problems into the digital sphere, which are not only location-shifting but also introduce new characteristics. Social scientists like sociologists and social workers play a crucial role in supporting marginalized groups, facilitating smoother access to information, and ensuring that digital platforms promote social inclusion. They can also contribute to decision-making processes by using data-driven strategies to benefit communities, emphasizing the positive aspects of the digital transformation. This study highlights how digital technologies have expanded participatory methods, enhancing communication, collaboration, and goal-setting in both digital and in-person contexts. Additionally, the study investigates the potential of fintech solutions for community-based fundraising and resource mobilization, underscoring the growing reliance on digital tools for achieving social and economic goals. The findings indicate that, despite ethical and practical challenges, there are significant opportunities to advance digital social work, fostering greater community engagement and development through digital innovations. The paper concludes by emphasizing that the social sciences are still in the early stages of adapting to the digital space, presenting opportunities to refine practices and better serve professional goals in the evolving digital age.
This study analyses the situation of Roma children separated from their parents and under the special protection measure of foster care in Cluj County, through a socio-demographic approach. Our research highlights the overrepresentation of Roma children in the child protection system. The results show that this disproportion is caused by factors such as extreme poverty, poor housing conditions, lack of education and structural discrimination. Approximately one third of the Roma families live in makeshift shacks with limited access to utilities and in conditions of severe overcrowding. The level of education of Roma parents is low and their access to the labour market is very limited. At the same time, institutionalized children show a high level of health problems, caused by poor living conditions and lack of medical care before the establishment of the protection measure. Our findings emphasize the need for integrated interventions to reduce the social inequalities that cause children to be separated from their families.
In 2023, a research project was launched within the framework of the University of Szeged IKIKK Research and Development Center for Supporting the Advancement of Roma and Disadvantaged Youth, with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of the world of Roma youth in the Southern Great Plain region of Hungary. The survey respondents had an average age of 15 years, and of the 311 participants, 197 identified themselves as being of Roma/Gypsy descent. In this study, we analyze the data from this subsample, presenting the deeper patterns of social value perceptions and future orientations.
The German occupation of Hungary in 1944 was a tragic turning point for those persecuted by the Nazi regime. This study contributes to the history of Jews and Poles who tried to leave Hungary for Romania with the help of human smugglers. Along the Hungarian–Romanian border several smuggling networks were operating at this time. One group, which was controlled from Szeged, was apprehended on 3 July 1944. The incident became a public sensation because the main organizers were well-known citizens of the town. The operation of the other smuggling networks was further investigated by the authorities after the Second World War. During these inquiries, it was revealed that in the vicinity of Csanádpalota, Kiszombor, and Apátfalva, some Hungarian state officials cooperating with the German occupiers laid traps for the fugitives and robbed themfugitive. However, some of the organizers and operators of human smuggling, and also some of the officials robbing fugitives can be named owing to archive records, and their activities can more or less be traced as well.
The Order of Vitéz was an important institution during the Horthy era, one of the foundations of which was the system of vitézi estates. I would like to emphasize that the legal basis of the organization was provided by the decree No. 6.650/1920. M.E., which enabled the establishment and donation of vitézi estates, and thus, vitézi estates are indispensable in the research of the Order of Vitéz. The aim of my dissertation is to analyze the human side of this unique landownership system in the case of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County. During the investigation, I will present the former ownership background of the land properties and outline the internal composition of the vitéz landowners. Based on this, I aim to show what kind of ‚human face’ the vitézi estates of the county project.
