Romániai magyar szamizdat folyóirat a nyolcvanas években : Feltételek, megvalósítások, fogadtatás

Kiss, Ágnes (2023) Romániai magyar szamizdat folyóirat a nyolcvanas években : Feltételek, megvalósítások, fogadtatás. REGIO : KISEBBSÉG, KULTÚRA, POLITIKA, TÁRSADALOM, 31 (3). pp. 82-115. ISSN 0865-557X (nyomtatott); 2415-959X (elektronikus)

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Abstract

In this study, I delve into the history of the Hungarian language samiz- dat journal Ellenpontok (Counterpoints) that appeared in Romania in 1982, pri- marily focusing on its impact and reception. On one hand, I argue that despite its brief existence and limited distribution, the samizdat journal had a signifi- cant social and political impact. To highlight a few of these positive effects, Ellenpontok inspired further dissident activities in Romania, led to a shift in editorial policy at Radio Free Europe in favor of Hungarian minority commu- nities, and brought human rights and ethnic minority issues from Romania to international forums and diplomatic discussions. On the other hand, I contend that the samizdat journal received far less appreciation at the time compared to how it is remembered collectively today. While a transnational support network facilitated its creation and message dis- semination, within Romania, it faced nearly unanimous rejection from state au- thorities, Romanian intellectuals, and the vocal segment of the Hungarian elite. The dismissive attitude of the Hungarians can be attributed in part to frustration and personal resentments, but it also stemmed from the decisive incompatibility of active resistance with the informal-individual bargaining model of minority interest representation and claim-making employed by the Transylvanian Hun- garian cultural and political elite. One can ascertain that the informal model of representation operated by the Hungarian political and cultural elite effectively limited active resistance. To analyze the reception of the samizdat journal, I draw upon interviews and recollections of the journal’s editors and their contemporaries, secret service documents (Securitate), as well as the literature on the Romanian dissidence.

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