Statutum
available in Hungarian
Scientific writings on borders were first published in the literature of international geography (Ratzel), political science (Kjellén), and sociology (Simmel) at the end of the 19th century. During the 20th century, the role and evolution of state borders were mainly studied by political geographers, dedicating a special focus to the demarcation of new borders defined by the peace treaties that ended the First World War. The Hungarian scientific workshop, bearing the name of Pál Teleki, produced relevant works in this field by European standards.
During the Second World War, however, researching borders was discredited for a number of reasons. Firstly, the most prominent (German) scholars of the era took part in the preparation of Nazi expansion. Secondly, the issue of borders was associated with the devastating war conflicts around the world. Thirdly, in the new bipolar world that emerged after the Second World War, tackling the issue of the established borders entailed political risks. Consequently, cross-border research only resurfaced with the progress of European integration, the collapse of communist regimes and the dismantlement of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall. Border Studies has been developing into a real discipline since the 1990s, which is partly a result of revolutionary changes in the field of spatial sciences. Border studies cover a wide range of disciplines including political geography, human geography, security policy, governance, planning theory, EU policy research, urban planning and gender studies. Researching borders became a trend, offering immense possibilities of interpretation and a diverse theoretical background.
Researching borders is of particular importance for Hungary: although being a relatively small country, Hungary has seven neighbouring countries – similarly to large states – and these seven borders have dissimilar statuses from an EU perspective. The importance of this issue is further strengthened by the openness of the Hungarian economy, the lively trade with its neighbours and the Hungarian national minority of more than one million people living across the border. It is no coincidence, that, after the political changeover, the liveliest discourse on this topic in the Central European region unfolded in Hungary. This resulted in internationally renowned research activities, thanks to the academic work of Gyula Horváth, János Süli-Zakar, Béla Baranyi, Zoltán Hajdu, János Rechnitzer and others.
The research group, jointly created by the University of Public Service (UPS) and the Central European Service for Cross-border Initiatives (CESCI), aims to preserve and carry on these illustrious traditions. The research group – which is planned to be developed into a research institute – in accordance with the UPS Rector’s Decree 37/2001, aims to become an internationally recognised multidisciplinary regional centre of border studies. To this end, it aims to
In line with its multidisciplinary approach, the workshop will not have a thematic focus: it will address all areas related to border studies, seeking to apply the results in practice, as well as exploiting the potential and synergies inherent in the different methodology, approach and content of disciplines.
In order to achieve the aforementioned goals, the workshop is open to cooperation with all external actors. Furthermore, it offers its resources to shape the policy discourse supporting cross-border cooperation at national, Central-European and EU level as well.