Transborder Kin-minority as Symbolic Resource in Hungary
Publisher: Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe Volume: 26 pages, pdf Description: The paper argues that diaspora engagement policies were designed by the Orbán government in order to strengthen the government’s nationalist image within the homeland constituency. First, I offer an overview of main comparative approaches in the study of diaspora engagement. Then I turn to the Hungarian case. After giving a brief summary of pre-2010 developments, I analyze the Orbán government’s diaspora politics with a special emphasis on non-resident citizenship. The main argument is that the centre-right Orbán government elected into power in 2010 was not motivated by geopolitical or economic aims when it introduced non-resident citizenship and designed a new set of diaspora engagement institutions.