Ethnic Diversity and Political Conflict: The Magyars in Transylvania.

摘要

This paper is about ethnicity, particularly Hungarian ethnicity, and how it pertains to the Magyar'a present struggle to retain their collective identity in Romania. As 90 percent of the ethinic Hungarians in Romania live in Transylvania, the focus is on this ancient region. However in studying this complex issue we cannot limit our examination to only the Hungarians in Transylvania. For a complete understanding of this issue it will be necessary to become attuned to the historical undercurrents of the area. Consequently it is important to investigate as well the roots of Romanian ethnicity and how through the ages it has usually collided but sometimes coexisted with the Magyar's. As with all of Eastern Europe, this turbulent region is victim of its long history. Fettered to the past, it is difficult for these peoples to shake their ancient cultural enmities. This is the root of the problem today.