A Special Case of International Migration: Ethnic Hungarians Migrating from Transylvania to Hungary

Authors

• Irén Gödri

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23979/fypr.44998

Keywords:

international migration, Hungary, ethnic minority, Transylvania, ethnicity, network

Abstract

The study examines a special case of international migration, when the ethnicity,
mother tongue, historical and cultural traditions of the immigrants are identical with
those of the receiving population. This is also a fundamental feature of immigration
to Hungary in the last decade and a half and could be observed primarily in the
migratory wave from neighboring countries (most of all from Transylvania in
Romania). After presenting the historical background we will review the development
of the present-day migratory processes as well as their social and economical
conditions, relying on statistics based on various sources. The socio-demographic
composition of the immigrants and their selection from the population of origin
indicate that migration is more frequent among younger, better-educated people
living in an ethnically heterogeneous urban environment. At the same time, the
rising proportion of older people and pensioners among the immigrants suggests
the commencement of the so-called secondary migration. This is con? rmed by a
questionnaire-based survey conducted among immigrants, which showed that family
reuni? cation is a migratory motivation for a signi? cant group of people, primarily for
the older generation. Among younger people economic considerations are decisive
in the migrants decision-making. Our analysis underscores the roles of ethnicity
and network of connections in the processes under examination.