This course examines the interplay between national identity and immigration in European democracies, focusing on Britain and Hungary. While nationalism is often viewed as a natural part of the world, it is in fact a modern phenomenon. Beginning with theoretical understandings of nationalism, the course moves to the creation of British identity — including its imperial legacy and post-empire reckoning — and then to Hungarian identity, shaped by a series of profound ruptures: the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, which stripped Hungary of two-thirds of its territory; the Holocaust, during which Hungary lost a significant portion of its Jewish population; and decades of Soviet domination, which left a deep imprint on Hungarian political culture and collective memory.

We will explore how collective memory shapes national identity and examine the interplay between immigration and identity in both countries. Both countries have seen powerful populist movements — exemplified by Brexit and Viktor Orbán — yet have taken strikingly different institutional paths on multiculturalism. Students will study these complexities by spending two weeks in London and two weeks in Budapest, with day trips to nearby smaller cities.

Summer 2027
June 26 - July 24