Category Archives: Vojvodina

01/7/13

Regional identities: Istrians, Vojvodinians and Northern Irish growing in censuses

Are certain regional identities (for a terminological clarification on this, please refer to what I explain at the bottom of this post*) posed to become the dominant ones within their regions in Europe, pushing national identities into the background? Maybe it is too soon to definitely answer this question, but census results released by the end of 2012 have shown that several regional senses of belonging are indeed cementing themselves as a strong option for the citizens in their territories and that, in some cases, they are starting to challenge the centuries long dominance of national identities there (or are even becoming one of them, as could finally be the case in Northern Ireland).

Perhaps one of the most remarkable data contained in the Northern Ireland 2011 census is the fact that for the first time it has clearly shown that the links “Protestant=British” and “Catholic=Irish” are not accurate. Continue reading →

01/2/12

Updating the Hungarian national map: a good opportunity for the Carpathian Basin and Europe

A short, touristic stay in Budapest allows every attentive observer to realize how the pre-Trianon map of Hungary continues to be an iconic image there, nine decades and three independent countries later. That is of course a problematic issue, since at least half of the territories that Hungary held before 1920 were not ethnic Hungarian at all. Claiming that all those lands should be reunited under the rule of Budapest simply flies in the face of reason, since well-established countries as Croatia, Slovakia and (half of) Romania would be deemed to disappear. Needless to say that in those countries, pre-Trianon map still causes fear. Continue reading →