‘No Migration, No Gender, No War’: Contradictions and Paradox in Hungarian Migration Discourse

The Hungarian Government’s long -standing politicisation of migration has recently become more complex. Two factors are particularly important here. First, following Russia’s war on Ukraine, over 60,000 refugees have arrived in Hungary seeking temporary protection. Second, Hungary’s FDI -based growt...

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Main Authors: Bradford Simon, Cullen Fin
Format: Article
Language:ces
Published: Sciendo 2025-03-01
Series:Politics in Central Europe
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.2478/pce-2025-0001
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author Bradford Simon
Cullen Fin
author_facet Bradford Simon
Cullen Fin
author_sort Bradford Simon
collection DOAJ
description The Hungarian Government’s long -standing politicisation of migration has recently become more complex. Two factors are particularly important here. First, following Russia’s war on Ukraine, over 60,000 refugees have arrived in Hungary seeking temporary protection. Second, Hungary’s FDI -based growth model and the country’s integration into global value -chains has exposed serious labour shortages. Hungary’s prime minister recently indicated the need for 500,000 new workers in the next two years. New government legislation now allows ‘third country’ nationals residence in Hungary as ‘guestworkers’ under strict conditions. More than 100,000 foreign workers are now in employment. The article explores contradictions between politicised anti -migrant discourse, the arrival of Ukrainian refugees and the introduction of guestworkers into the Hungarian labour market. It draws on qualitative data analysis including political speeches, social media postings and visual images. The article concludes by suggesting that Hungary can be understood as currently caught in a paradox between national economic imperatives on one hand and domestic political and public demands for the preservation of national identity on the other.
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spelling doaj-art-75e0eccfc58d4b9cbb3da1939d7c97ba2025-08-20T02:16:56ZcesSciendoPolitics in Central Europe2787-90382025-03-0121113010.2478/pce-2025-0001‘No Migration, No Gender, No War’: Contradictions and Paradox in Hungarian Migration DiscourseBradford SimonCullen FinThe Hungarian Government’s long -standing politicisation of migration has recently become more complex. Two factors are particularly important here. First, following Russia’s war on Ukraine, over 60,000 refugees have arrived in Hungary seeking temporary protection. Second, Hungary’s FDI -based growth model and the country’s integration into global value -chains has exposed serious labour shortages. Hungary’s prime minister recently indicated the need for 500,000 new workers in the next two years. New government legislation now allows ‘third country’ nationals residence in Hungary as ‘guestworkers’ under strict conditions. More than 100,000 foreign workers are now in employment. The article explores contradictions between politicised anti -migrant discourse, the arrival of Ukrainian refugees and the introduction of guestworkers into the Hungarian labour market. It draws on qualitative data analysis including political speeches, social media postings and visual images. The article concludes by suggesting that Hungary can be understood as currently caught in a paradox between national economic imperatives on one hand and domestic political and public demands for the preservation of national identity on the other.https://doi.org/10.2478/pce-2025-0001hungarymigrationrefugeesguestworkerseconomypopulismnationalism
spellingShingle Bradford Simon
Cullen Fin
‘No Migration, No Gender, No War’: Contradictions and Paradox in Hungarian Migration Discourse
Politics in Central Europe
hungary
migration
refugees
guestworkers
economy
populism
nationalism
title ‘No Migration, No Gender, No War’: Contradictions and Paradox in Hungarian Migration Discourse
title_full ‘No Migration, No Gender, No War’: Contradictions and Paradox in Hungarian Migration Discourse
title_fullStr ‘No Migration, No Gender, No War’: Contradictions and Paradox in Hungarian Migration Discourse
title_full_unstemmed ‘No Migration, No Gender, No War’: Contradictions and Paradox in Hungarian Migration Discourse
title_short ‘No Migration, No Gender, No War’: Contradictions and Paradox in Hungarian Migration Discourse
title_sort no migration no gender no war contradictions and paradox in hungarian migration discourse
topic hungary
migration
refugees
guestworkers
economy
populism
nationalism
url https://doi.org/10.2478/pce-2025-0001
work_keys_str_mv AT bradfordsimon nomigrationnogendernowarcontradictionsandparadoxinhungarianmigrationdiscourse
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