Authors

Margit Kőszegi¹; Zsolt Bottlik¹;  ¹ Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary

Discussion

The nationality question was one of the central problems in the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. For this reason, ethnic mapping has been given a prominent role since the end of the 19th century. However, the traditional area-based representations did not exactly support the point of view of the Hungarian power elites. This fact encouraged map makers to develop various representational innovations. In the new political situation following the disintegration of the monarchy, the clash of these views was even more pronounced. For the Hungarian side, the improvement of methodological innovations was a political weapon, which in this way stimulated innovative scientific cartographic works. On the other hand, the interests of the newly formed states were served by the simpler, classical area-based representations that had been in use for decades.
What scientific and political considerations lay behind the technical innovations of Hungarian ethnic mapping? Did the other nations of the Carpathian Basin use a map to assert their interests, and if so, according to what principles? In our presentation, we examine the zeitgeist, scientific thinking and political conflict of interest that created ethnic cartography. Instead of a detailed discussion of the maps' methodology and taxonomic characteristics, we focus on the discourses they convey. To the discourses that have become incentives for different ways of representing the reality based on statistical data.