Aspirations for Hungarian-language higher education in Transcarpathia (1919–1991)

Abstract

Abstract. This study presents the path towards developing Transcarpathian Hungarian-language higher education. It examines the historical, political, and cultural conditions that shaped the creation of Hungarian academic institutions in a multi-ethnic border region marked by frequent regime changes. By tracing key milestones from the Czechoslovak period to the Soviet era, the study highlights the persistent efforts of the Hungarian minority to secure institutional recognition and linguistic rights in higher education. In doing so, it emphasizes how access to mother-tongue education became a crucial means of cultural preservation and collective resilience. Particular attention is given to community initiatives, petitions, and informal academic circles that sought to maintain Hungarian scholarly presence despite restrictive language policies. Situated within the broader discourse on minority education in Central and Eastern Europe, this study reveals how higher education served not only as a field of academic aspiration but also as a vital instrument for sustaining identity, transmitting cultural heritage, and strengthening the long-term cohesion of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia. The study examines the historical trajectory of the formation and aspirations of Hungarianlanguage higher education in Transcarpathia between 1919 and 1991, within the framework of three major political periods: the Czechoslovak, Hungarian, and Soviet eras. Its primary focus is on the development of Hungarian-language higher education during the Soviet period, with particular attention to the establishment and role of Uzhhorod State University after 1945. The authors explore how educational structures were transformed following the Second World War, when the region came under Soviet control and institutions were shaped by Marxist–Leninist ideology. The study provides a detailed analysis of the early efforts to introduce Hungarian-language instruction at the university, including the interrupted initiatives of the 1950s and the emergence of Hungarian philological programme from the 1960s onward. It also addresses linguistic restrictions, the pressures of Soviet educational policy, and the forms of social resistance that emerged through petitions and community movements. The founding of the Hungarology Centre in the late 1980s marked a significant milestone, although an independent Hungarian higher education system did not materialise. The study concludes that aspirations for Hungarian higher education during the Soviet era served not only educational purposes but also became essential instruments for minority identity, linguistic and cultural self-preservation, and community continuity.

Резюме. У статті досліджується історична траєкторія формування та прагнень угорськомовної вищої освіти на Закарпатті у 1919–1991 роках у контексті трьох великих політичних епох – чехословацької, угорської та радянської. Основна увага зосереджена на становленні угорськомовної вищої освіти в радянський період, з особливим акцентом на створенні та ролі Ужгородського державного університету після 1945 року. Автори показують, як трансформувалися освітні рамки після Другої світової війни, коли регіон опинився під владою Радянського Союзу.