The Concept of the Nation in the Fundamental Law of Hungary

Authors

  • Peter Smuk Széchenyi István University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.12.2015.31_2.07

Keywords:

Hungary, Constitution, Nation, Nationalities, Citizenship

Abstract

The paper introduces the national aspects of the new Hungarian constitution. We find direct references to the “Hungarian nation” in the text of the Fundamental Law of Hungary, and these references reveal the concept of the nation of the constitution‑making political majority. This concept is rather controversial and is widely debated in political and also in scientific discussions. I examine the problematic issues around the concept of the nation, which are the following: Is the concept of the nation clear? Does it imply the “cultural” or the “political”/“democratic” notion of the nation? What is the situation of the nationalities living in Hungary? What is the situation of the Hungarians living beyond the borders of Hungary? This paper intends to contribute to the discussion on the values of the new constitution of Hungary.

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Author Biography

Peter Smuk, Széchenyi István University

Associate professor of constitutional law, Head of the Department of Constitutional Law and Political Sciences, at Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the Széchenyi István University in Győr, Hungary. Vice-Dean for general and educational affairs at the same Faculty. MA in Law (dr. iur.) 2002; in History 2003; PhD in Law in 2008. Visiting PhD student and lecturer at Warsaw University (2006, 2008). Member of the Association of Hungarian Constitutional Lawyers, Advisory Committee, Member of the Hungarian Political Science Association. Selected publications: Rights of Opposition in Parliamentary Law (Budapest 2008); The Hungarian Parliament 1990-2010 (co-author: István Kukorelli) (Budapest 2010); Hungarian Public Law and Politics 1989-2011 (Budapest 2011).

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Published

2015-02-09

How to Cite

Smuk, Peter. 2015. “The Concept of the Nation in the Fundamental Law of Hungary”. Politeja 12 (8 (31/2):93-110. https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.12.2015.31_2.07.

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 8 (31/2) (2015): Ethnicity, Culture, Politics

Section

Articles

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