Dr Éva Ványi, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary - to Western University, Ontario, Canada: 01 - 21 September 2014
Published: 25 November 2016
◾Public lecture: 18 September 2014 Elite Circulation and Elite Reproduction: Elite transformation in Central Europe after the regime change focused on Hungary ◾PhD seminar (Centre for Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction): 19 September 2014 Speech about specialty of elite changing in Hungary after the regime change
I was visiting scholar at the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada from 01 September to 21 September 2014. During my staying at UWO I studied the literature about Canadian government structure. I was very interested in the differences between Canadian and Central European higher education system.
Moreover I wanted to know good teaching practices that is why I visited some classes (Politics and Pop Culture, instructor: NanditaBiswasMellamphy and Public Administration, instructor: Ross D Gibbons). I visited all classes that were scheduled in my staying at UWO. After classes I discussed about differences and analogies between Hungarian and Canadian high education system with colleagues.
The aim of my public lecture was to show the elite changing process after the regime change in Hungary. The first research immediately after 1990 described the elite changing process in Central Europe as an elite circulation process since the members of old elite left previous political positions large number. However first results are not valid in the long time period. To demonstrate this fact I introduced my research about elite changing process of Hungarian ministerial elite. I illustrated that the old (post-communist) elite members could come back to the top political positions and they had large-scale influence to the political decision making.
After my lecture I took part in a very interesting conversation about the special situation of Central European countries. Students were very interested in understanding the problem how could the old elite memberscome back to the power. I got more questions about the Hungarian political culture. This talking with PhD students was very fruitful because it helps me to improve my research thereby to know some outsiders’ point of view.
My visit at Western was a great opportunity to compare style of the European and North American higher education and to develop my research and knowledge about Canadian federal system.
First published: 25 November 2016