Preservation and Politics

Folk culture does not survive by accident. Someone decides what is worth keeping, pays for it, teaches it and sometimes changes it. This chapter looks at who has done that in Hungary: the state, researchers, revivalists, designers and the Hungarian-speaking communities outside the present borders. It also asks how to tell authentic practice from kitsch. As the outline stated, the course describes what is practised, by whom and what is disputed, and takes no side on questions of nation, minority and border. Names, dates and programmes are from general knowledge and flagged for checking.

State Support and the "Folklorism" Debate

Under the communist state (roughly 1948 to 1989) folk culture received public money: professional and amateur ensembles, festivals, craft cooperatives and research institutes (check the institutions and dates). Folk art suited a regime that wished to honour "the people", and it was less politically risky than many other forms of culture.

• The benefit. Crafts were taught, dances and songs were collected and archived, and many practitioners had a way to earn a living (check the scale).
• The criticism. Scholars and revivalists argued that state ensembles and craft cooperatives produced a stylised, stage-friendly version that replaced living village practice. The word folklorism is often used for this second-hand use of folk material (check how it is defined in Hungarian scholarship).
• The táncház link. The dance-house movement of Chapter 7 can be read partly as a reaction against the stage version, a return to learning from village musicians and dancers (check how far this reading is shared).

Across the Borders

Large Hungarian-speaking communities live in Romania (mainly Transylvania), Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine and other neighbouring countries, a result of the border changes after the First World War. Some of the traditions in this course, such as the dance of Szék (Chapter 7) and many ballads (Chapter 8), were recorded in those communities.

• Exchange. Revivalists from Hungary travelled to Transylvanian villages to learn, and village musicians were invited to teach and perform in Hungary (check the examples).
• Different conditions. Each community has its own history, language rights and funding, so the tradition is kept up in different ways in each place (check the specifics).
• A sensitive subject. Heritage is sometimes used in arguments about identity and borders. This course records the practice and the communities, not the arguments.

The Revival and Its Cousins

The revival after the 1970s did not stop at dance. Folk-inspired bands mixed traditional instruments with rock, jazz and electronic music (check the names of bands and the term "world music" in Hungarian use). Young musicians learn at music schools and workshops. Crafts such as pottery and embroidery have their own teachers and courses.

Heritage Programmes

Several schemes aim to protect living tradition, not just objects:

• Folk Art Master and related titles. A state honour for outstanding craftspeople and a programme to pass their skills on (check the current names and rules).
• Living Human Treasure. A Hungarian programme modelled on the UNESCO idea, recognising individual bearers of tradition (check the name and the details).
• UNESCO lists. Items from Hungary include the Busó festivities at Mohács (Chapter 6), the táncház method (Chapter 7) and the Matyó folk art (Chapter 3). Check the exact listings, categories and years.
• Open-air museums. The Open Air Museum at Szentendre keeps whole buildings from the regions (see Hungarian Architecture, and Chapter 1 for sources).

Designers and the Folk Fashion Trend

In recent decades Hungarian designers have used folk motifs on clothing, homeware and graphics, from embroidered blouses to modern prints (check the designers and brands). This has brought new buyers and new income to crafts, and has drawn criticism when motifs from one region are used with no credit or understanding. The question of who may use a pattern, and whether a village or a family can own one, has no simple answer (check any legal protection).

Authenticity and Kitsch

Three questions help to separate old practice, later revival and commercial copy:

1. Who made it, and why? A villager making for use, a revivalist making in a tradition, or a factory making for sale.
2. Does it keep its context? A costume worn at a wedding in the village against one sold as a souvenir.
3. Is it honest about itself? A revival that says it is a revival is not a fake. A souvenir presented as ancient is.

Exercises