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FOREWORD
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In 2017 the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary
organized an international conference entitled National Identity and
Modernity 1870-1945 in Latin America — Southern Europe — East Central
Europe.
The theme of the conference encompassed certain countries of the fringe
zones of history during the late modern period in the mentioned three
regions. The formation of these national identities was shaped in unique
and complex ways by a delayed economic development (as compared to the
developed countries), and by the ethnic and regional diversity rooted in
these countries’ national history. The political and economic pressures both
internal and external influenced and marked the ways of modernization in all
three regions between 1870 and 1945. A partial analysis of this complex era
and a comparison of the experiences shared within the different regions were
the main focus of our conference.
Some of our authors did not take part in the conference. Their studies,
however, have significantly contributed to having a more comprehensive
and proportionate account and understanding of the aforementioned three
regions: Maria Elisa Alonso (University of Lorraine, France); Sebastian
Hernändez Toledo (Chile, a PhD student in Mexico); Francisco Quiroz (San
Marcos University, Lima, Peru); and Izaskun Älvarez Cuartero, (University of
Salamanca, Spain).
It is our sad duty to pay tribute to Eszter Tarjanyi, a former lecturer at
Pazmany Péter Catholic University, who passed away unexpectedly at a young
age, shortly after the conference. She is no longer with us, but we are very
grateful for her work.
The co-editors of the book are my patient and dedicated colleagues, José
Antonio Sánchez Román (Complutense University of Madrid), Petra Balaton
and Csaba Horvath (Károli Gáspár University, Faculty of Humanities). I would
also like to thank Vivien Rapali and Déra Dobos, (both PhD students at Käroli
Gaspar University, Faculty of Humanities, the School of Postgraduate History
Studies) for correcting the footnotes. Anett Pataki, an outstanding former
student was an invaluable help in the one-year-long organisational tasks, 1am
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