Contemporary development of Hungarian ethnological science as a stage “New synthesis”

Abstract

Hungarian Ethnography (folklore in Hungary is traditionally a part of it) has passed a long period of its formation, development, stockpiling of materials and knowledge. The modern state of its development can be called the period of “new synthesis”, because on the basis of the accumulated material for many decades, the research potential was the most voluminous and most important in Hungarian ethnography, the multi-volume synthetic work “Hungarian Ethnography in Eight Volumes” (1988-2011). It became the basis for further development, a certain point of reference and a stage of scientific knowledge, review of the previous and the formation of new generalizations, concepts and terminology, updating the methodology, as well as preparation of the encyclopedia of Hungarian Ethnology in English, which would promote its popularization in the world.For its success and international recognition after the 1990s, Hungarian ethnography owes itself to the integration of all its domains. The leading role in ethnological research is played by the Academy of Sciences of Hungary, in particular the Institute of Ethnographic Studies of the Center for Human Sciences, which consists of four departments: historical ethnography, ethnography of society, folklore and ethnology. In the Institute, with the participation of researchers from other institutions, in addition to the aforementioned, a number of other works of general character were prepared and published: an encyclopedia “Hungarian ethnographic (encyclopedia)”, an “Ethnographic atlas” in nine volumes, a “Hungarian catalog of fairy tales”, a “Catalog of Hungarian historical treasures” etc.

A productive form of presentation of the best achievements of Hungarian ethnology is their publication in serial editions, for example “Ethnographic works”, “Folklore and tradition”, “Folklore archive”, “Seged religious ethnographic library”, “Our heritage of folk art”, “Ethnography of Hungarian national minorities” (Germans, Serbs, Croats, Gypsies, Slovaks, Ukrainians-Rusyns and etc.).