The Institute of English and American Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Debrecen, celebrated the 40th anniversary of Canadian Studies and the 60th anniversary of Canadian-Hungarian diplomatic relations with an international conference. Held on October 24-25, the event was attended by Canada’s ambassador to Hungary and Hungary’s consul general in Montreal, and included a video greeting from renowned author Margaret Atwood.
One of the goals of the Debrecen University Symposium series is to enhance the international reputation of the University of Debrecen (UD) and the city through academic events that connect with the university’s history. This year’s international conference, titled “Looking Back and Ahead: Exploring Uniquely Canadian Cultural Narratives – Debrecen University Symposium, 2024,” was organized by the Canadian Studies Center at the UD Faculty of Humanities, with speakers from Canadian universities—such as McGill, Concordia, Ottawa, York, Sherbrooke, and Northern Lakes College—as well as from Albania, the Czech Republic, Croatia, China, Slovenia, and Turkey. Numerous Hungarian institutions, including DE, also presented research.
The symposium provided a valuable opportunity for participants to explore recent academic achievements, current Canadian-focused research, and ongoing international collaborations.
On the opening day of the event, François Lafrenière, Canada’s ambassador to Hungary, and Helga Pritz, Hungary’s consul general in Montreal, visited the University of Debrecen for the first time. Vice-Rector for Education Elek Bartha introduced the institution’s educational, training, and research activities and shared its history and growth.
The university’s 13 faculties maintain a broad range of international relations across all fields of science and higher education.
“Among these, the Faculty of Humanities’ language and culture programs hold a special place, including the programs offered by the Institute of English and American Studies. The fact that our students can pursue Canadian Studies, and that our faculty have been engaged in scientific research in this high-prestige field for decades, is significant for the university, the country, and our Canadian partners alike,” said Bartha Elek during the conference’s opening.
In his welcome address, Ambassador Lafrenière highlighted the importance of Canadian-Hungarian relations and commended DE’s dedication to Canadian Studies. Consul General Pritz praised the research projects conducted at UD and their relevance to the Canadian Hungarian diaspora.
On the event’s first day, Judit Molnár, retired lecturer who introduced Canadian Studies at DE, reviewed the program’s history and underscored the importance of international collaboration. She presented the diversity of Canadian Studies research fields and the variety of courses available, which attract numerous students.
Péter Szaffkó, a former head of the Institute of English and American Studies who has significantly contributed to DE’s relationships with Canadian institutions, discussed the development of these collaborations.
Conference organizer Balázs Venkovits, head of the Institute of English and American Studies and the Canadian Studies Research Center, together with colleagues from Montreal, presented a project documenting nearly a century of Hungarian history in Montreal. The project will soon publish its first volume and has also developed an interactive map.
“Our predecessors left us a strong Canadian Studies program and center supported by international cooperation, which we can build a secure future upon. Our latest interdisciplinary research project, involving the Montreal consulate and Concordia University staff, as well as DE’s Department of Sociology and Social Policy, reflects this well,” Venkovits told hirek.unideb.hu.
He also expressed gratitude to the university for enabling the high-quality organization of this Symposium event and supporting the development of the project’s interactive map through the university’s WAV Center.
The symposium featured lectures by invited guests, including literary historian David Staines, political scientist Daniel Béland, historian Barbara Lorenzkowski, writer and former Canadian MP Dennis Gruending, and Hungarian-Canadian poet Endre Farkas and author Anna Porter.
The second day of the conference focused on academic presentations. Participants could explore the latest research findings across eight thematic panels covering literature, history, cultural anthropology, film studies, and motherhood studies.
Zsuzsanna Lénárt-Muszka, co-organizer of the conference and assistant professor in DE’s North American Studies Department, expressed thanks to the Faculty of Humanities and the University and National Library of Debrecen for their support. She noted that the conference introduced several publication venues appealing to participants, creating opportunities for future international collaboration.
(unideb.hu)
