MACMILLAN Unequal Accommodation of Minority Rights: Hungarians in Transylvania (Palgrave Politics of Identity and Citizenship Series)

This book provides an in-depth multidisciplinary analysis of the major social and political processes affecting Hungarians in Romania after the overthrow of the Communist regime in 1989. The volume highlights the interdependence between the ethno-political strategies of minority elites and Romania's minority policy regime on the one hand, and social processes such as ethnic boundary making and ethnic stratification on the other. The chapters combine perspectives from a variety of disciplines including political science and the sociology of ethnic relations, supported by the findings of  a broad array of empirical investigations carried out in Transylvania. It will therefore be of particular interest to scholars and students with a focus on minority politics, ethnic mobilization and nationalism, as well as researchers of ethnic relations, ethnic boundary making, social distances and ethnic inequalities.    Review “In this superb case study about political and social transformations affecting the Hungarian minority population in Transylvania since 1989, Tamás Kiss and his co-authors offer a comprehensive and finely drawn analysis of the Romanian model of interethnic relations.  Based on a wealth of original empirical research, the authors articulate arguments of theoretical and comparative significance about the possibilities and limitations of democratic minority agency under regimes of “unequal accommodation.”’ (Zsuzsa Csergő, Associate Professor and Head of Political Studies, Queen’s University, USA, and President, Association for the Study of Nationalities, ASN) “This book provides a theoretically-informed, comprehensive account of the Hungarian lived space in Romania – including material previously unavailable in English. It covers the formal and informal political institutions that give life to minority rights and claims, as well as ethnic parallelism in everyday life: in language, religion, media, and the economy. It also provides a convincing account of ways in which community boundaries are incrementally reinforced. It is an academic tour de force.” (Sherrill Stroschein, Reader in Politics, University College London, UK) “This is the definitive book on the “Romanian model” of inter-ethnic relations and its impact on Hungarian minority political agency and mobilization. Theoretically-compelling and empirically-rich, this study brings much needed insight to the factors that shape national minorities’ struggles to make claims and maintain their communities.  A great resource for scholars of ethnic and minority politics in Europe and elsewhere.” (Myra Waterbury, Associate Professor, Ohio University, USA) From the Back Cover This book provides an in-depth multidisciplinary analysis of the major social and political processes affecting Hungarians in Romania after the overthrow of the Communist regime in 1989. The volume highlights the interdependence between the ethno-political strategies of minority elites and Romania's minority policy regime on the one hand, and social processes such as ethnic boundary making and ethnic stratification on the other. The chapters combine perspectives from a variety of disciplines including political science and the sociology of ethnic relations, supported by the findings of  a broad array of empirical investigations carried out in Transylvania. It will therefore be of particular interest to scholars and students with a focus on minority politics, ethnic mobilization and nationalism, as well as researchers of ethnic relations, ethnic boundary making, social distances and ethnic inequalities.    About the Author Tamás Kiss is Research Fellow, Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities, Romania. István Gergő Székely is Research Fellow, Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities, Romania. Tibor Toró is Assistant Professor at Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania and Researcher at the Romanian