The AHA sent a letter to János Áder, president of the Republic of Hungary, expressing “deep concern about recent government actions against the Institute of Political History,” including “unfounded attacks on our colleagues,” “eviction from its new premises,” and “defunding.” The AHA “urges the Hungarian government to reconsider the misguided steps that have already been taken to the detriment of the institute and to safeguard its premises, support its activities, and vouchsafe its independence now and in the future.”

Download the letter as a PDF. 

22 February 2021

Dr. János Áder
President, Republic of Hungary
Sádor-Palace, 1014 Budapest, Szent György tér 1-2
1536 Budapest, Pf. 227

Dear President Áder:

The American Historical Association expresses deep concern about recent government actions against the Institute of Political History. As the largest organization of professional historians in the world, the AHA stands with our colleagues from other scholarly associations in support of the preservation of this internationally acclaimed institute and its essential archival collections.

The defunding of the institute in 2010 initiated a process leading to eviction without compensation from its long-term facilities in Budapest, as well as raising ongoing issues of compensation and funding of the institute’s activities. Even after the recent forced relocation of the institute, the government continues its unfounded attacks on our colleagues, insists on eviction from its new premises, and persists with defunding.

The Institute of Political History is a major independent venue for the study of political history with especially strong archival holdings in the history of the working-class and labor movement in Hungary. Its many activities include the publication of the respected peer-reviewed scholarly journal Múltunk [Our Past] and a foundation that supports multidisciplinary research of the recent past and the present through fellowships, research projects, and archival material. As such, the institute forms an important scholarly link to the broader international scholarly community.

The AHA upholds in the strongest possible way the principle of academic freedom for scholarly research. The government's ongoing harassment of the institute thwarts international cooperation and intellectual exchange and thus negatively affects Hungary’s standing within the global scholarly community.

The AHA therefore urges the Hungarian government to reconsider the misguided steps that have already been taken to the detriment of the institute and to safeguard its premises, support its activities, and vouchsafe its independence now and in the future.

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Jones
President

James R. Grossman
Executive Director