BINDORFFER, GYÖRGYI
Migration, identity and loyalty. The changes in the identity structures of Germans living in Hungary

Migration, the regional movement of peoples, nations and individuals is not a recent phenomenon. Originally, the Germans living in Hungary voluntarily migrated from their homeland to Hungary, though under severe economic constraints, in the 17—18th centuries. But they were forced to migrate from their chosen homeland (Hungary) back to the West after WWII. Between these two periods, migration was not a characteristic feature in German communities living in Hungary; they lived closely attached to their land, to their village. The first generation of migrants brought internalised identity patterns from their homeland. The question of changing identity emerges only in the second and third generations, who are socialised in their new country. This is the period of the development of a dual identity, which needs the positive influence of a number of different internal and external developments. Where do Germans in Hungary migrate nowadays? How does migration influence their dual identity structure? The study, besides giving an historical overview of the issue, addresses these questions, based on data collected in fieldwork in four villages, Csolnok, Dunabogdány, Somberek and Véménd.