Saturday, March 15, 2014
Senate (Omni Shoreham)
My paper examines the historical processes and the motivations of contemporary Hungarian politicians to officially rehabilitate the memory of Cécile Tormay. Tormay, part of the ruling elite in the authoritarian interwar Horthy regime, was a fierce anticommunist, antisemite, and a staunch nationalist. Such politics, her widespread political influence, and status as a celebrated national figure during the 1920s and 1930s assured the silencing of her memory during the four decades of post World War II Communist rule. Following 1989 amidst Hungary’s aspiration to join and become a full member of the European Union the memory of Tormay remained dormant. In the past three years however, with the decisive shift in the direction of Hungarian politics from a pro-EU stance to one that is openly hostile towards the EU, Tormay reemerged as an important new national historical icon. Conservative and far right parties have happily (re)embraced her as Hungary’s ideal patriotic female figure of the past century. In this paper, I argue that the heated public debates about Tormay’s character and accomplishments are representative of a broader renegotiation of the legacy of the interwar conservative regime she championed. Through examining the controversies around the re-naming of streets after Tormay, the introduction of her works into the national core curriculum, and the erection of a statue commemorating her as one of the “Greatest Hungarian Women” this paper traces how the cultural and political memory of Tormay has become a battle over the future of Hungary’s place in Europe.
