The event included a roundtable discussion on the role and significance of emigration museums, a book launch, a discussion on international academic collaborations and even a reception sponsored by Fulbright Hungary.
“Apart from reflecting on the events and decisions of the past 100 years, quite a few of the presentations can also contribute to a better understanding of the current processes of the present. We do hope that, in a lot of ways, this conference will also be about the future, as it is planned to serve as a starting point for international academic cooperation and publications that will examine the global effects of immigration regulations and restrictions,” said Balázs Venkovits to hirek.unideb.hu.
The director of the Institute of English and American Studies at the University of Debrecen, who is also the chief conference organizer, said he hoped that the discussions would bring to the fore once again the need to establish a Hungarian emigration museum, in which effort the experts of the University of Debrecen would be happy to participate.
In his welcome address delivered at the opening ceremony, Elek Bartha, Vice-Rector for Educational Affairs of the University of Debrecen, noted the topicality of the conference theme and emphasized that the University of Debrecen would definitely prove to be a worthy host for this event, thanks to its international relations and eager students.
“The preparation and organization of an international, multidisciplinary conference like the current one is in full accordance with the academic goals of our university,” said the Vice-Rector, who even touched upon his own anthropological research experience within the broader field of migration research.
The event was also attended by Melissa Quartell, the incoming Cultural Attaché of the United States Embassy in Budapest, who welcomed the participants on her first official visit in Hungary to Debrecen following her meeting with Elek Bartha and taking a guided tour of the University of Debrecen.
“Academic discussions on immigration laws and processes can often provide lessons that could even exert influence on legislation and public discourse in the long run,” said the Cultural Affairs Officer. She stressed that the US owes a lot to Hungarian immigrants such as János Neumann, József Pulitzer and quite a few key figures in the American film industry. Consequently, it is important to maintain good relations between the two countries as well as between the US Embassy and the University of Debrecen based on personal human connections and close cooperation.
Helga Lenart-Cheng, President of American Hungarian Educators Association, delivered a presentation on the work and achievements of the organization that celebrates the 50th anniversary of its foundation this year, while she encouraged both online and in-person participants to use the conference to strengthen existing relationships and build new ones that can serve as a basis for useful collaboration and cooperation in the future.
The three plenary lectures that were given at the hybrid conference featured Anna A. Mazurkiewicz (University of Gdansk, Poland), Ashley Johnson Bavery (Eastern Michigan University, USA) and Mónika Szente-Varga (Ludovika National University of Public Service, Hungary).
“This event provided all of us with a chance us to examine the effects of the Quota Act from several perspectives, including the human one on the one hand, as well as the mechanisms of international migration more broadly, on the other hand,” said another organizer, Zsuzsanna Lénárt-Muszka, in summary.
The Assistant Professor of the North American Department of FoH, UD, added that the proceedings of the two-day scholarly event will soon be published, for example, in the Scopus indexed journal of the Institute of English and American Studies, called Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies.
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