Kin-State Responsibility: From Feeling to Bearing Cover Image

Kin-State Responsibility: From Feeling to Bearing
Kin-State Responsibility: From Feeling to Bearing

Author(s): Zoltán Kántor
Subject(s): Ethnic Minorities Studies, Politics and Identity
Published by: Nemzetpolitikai Kutatóintézet
Keywords: Diaspora policy; Hungarian communities abroad; kin‑state policy

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes the evolution of Hungarian kin-state policy since the democratic transition, situating it within the broader European process of national re-institutionalization. It conceptualizes kin-state policy as a distinct field of state activity through which responsibility toward co-nationals living beyond state borders is articulated and operationalized. The study examines the constitutional and legal foundations of this responsibility, with particular emphasis on citizenship, voting rights, and the institutionalization of transborder nationhood. It further explores the administrative structures, diaspora policy instruments, and support mechanisms designed to sustain collective identity, community reproduction, and socio-economic viability among Hungarian communities abroad. The article argues that Hungarian kin-state policy exemplifies a broader transformation in state–nation relations in post-Cold War Europe. It concludes that transborder nation-building has become a stable and enduring component of contemporary statehood.

  • Issue Year: 8/2025
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 79-92
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: English
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