Identity
Ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania define themselves as being Hungarian, Transylvanian and Romanian at the same time, and there is even a sense of pride about this fact. Many Hungarians living in Transylvania were disconcerted when the referendum held in Hungary in 2004 on the issue of giving dual-citizenship to ethnic Hungarians living abroad failed to receive enough electoral attendance and the vote was uncertain. Some of them complain that when they are in Hungary, they are perceived as half-Romanians, and are considered as having differences in language and behaviour. However, a large proportion of Transylvanian Hungarians currently work or study in Hungary, usually on a temporary basis. After 1996, Hungarian-Romanian economic relations boomed, and Hungary is an important investor in Transylvania, with many cross-border firms employing both Romanians and Hungarians.
Historically, the Székely people considered themselves an ethnic group distinct from Hungarians in Transylvania, even though they now identify mainly as Hungarians. 2011 - Hungarians from Transylvania are applying for Hungarian citizenship after Hungary passed a law which facilitates the obtaining of citizenship for Hungarian living outside Hungary.
Read more about this topic: Hungarian Minority In Romania
Famous quotes containing the word identity:
“When I quit working, I lost all sense of identity in about fifteen minutes.”
—Paige Rense (b. 1929)
“Though your views are in straight antagonism to theirs, assume an identity of sentiment, assume that you are saying precisely that which all think, and in the flow of wit and love roll out your paradoxes in solid column, with not the infirmity of a doubt.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“All that remains is the mad desire for present identity through a woman.”
—Max Frisch (1911–1991)