Срби и Немци у Војводини и Мађаризација
The Serbs and the Germans in Vojvodina and the Process of Becoming Hungarians

Author(s): Zoran Janjetović
Subject(s): Migration Studies, Inter-Ethnic Relations, Politics and Identity
Published by: Етнографски институт САНУ
Summary/Abstract: It is obvious that Hungarian people showed toughness of their ethnic identity and big assimilation ability during one thousand one hundred years of life in the Pannonian lowland. There are statistical data which tell in favour of Hungarian statement. In this work, we are concerned about spiritual abilities of the Hungarians, Germans and Serbs, because we are aware that they contributed to mixing members of one nation to the other. The Serbs and the Hungarians showed bigger similarities concerning temperament, so it could have been expected that they would enlarge prospects for the process for Serbs becoming Hungarians. The Serbs were close to the Hungarians because of the temperament, and way of thinking. The Germans were close to the Hungarians because of the same cultural circus and above all Catholic religion. Religion played an important part as barrage for the Serbs becoming Hungarians. This same religion became one of the ways for Germans to become Hungarians in the second half of the nineteenth century. During many centuries of life in the territory of Hungary, both the Serbs and the Germans were exposed to the process of assimilation into Hungarian people. This process was not held in one direction. Forcible process of becoming Hungarians appears in the second half of the nineteenth century by an attempt of pronouncing Hungarian language as the only official language. Owing to higher national consciousness, nourished by Serbian Orthodox Church, and royal privileges they gained during the Great migration, the Serbs were more capable to reject those attempts of losing their national identity from the "Svabe", which were not coherent owing to their different background. Those Germans were also nationally weak because they belonged to the Catholic Church, and above all they were interested in material gaining. In spite all the differences in temperament and mentality, it helped them to become Hungarians more easily. It is important to be noticed that stimulation for voluntary assimilation was getting higher in the walks of life. The Serbs cared less about this than the Germans (although their Serbian nobility became Hungarians in early days).

• Details
• Contents