Oldal 110 [110]
IZOLDA TAKÁCS: THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
The media and the publishing industry was under the strict control of state
censorship, feminism and its history was approached in the public sphere by
creating confusion and incomprehension.*® Thus, presenting the history of
feminism and feminist notions to the Hungarian public was practically barred
in the era of state socialism. In addition to this, the approach of “promoting,
tolerating, banning (tiltds, tiirés, tamogatds)”*®° (known as the “three T's” or
PTB) in cultural policies became a typical trait of the state. The set of authors
and works declared to be “tolerated” by the censorship grew at a very slow
pace. °°”
In Hungary back then, if one wanted to read a textbook in a foreign language, it
could not be done too simply, they were difficult to get. We did not have much choice.
This presented a barrier for me multiple times, especially due to my research subject.
(Subject no. 18, social sciences)
Breaking the civil society was needed in the interest of securing the power
of the one-party state. One of the tools applied for this purpose was the ato¬
misation and proletarianisation of the populace.?® Women (as well as men)
needed to take significant political-ideological disadvantages into account
within the relations of that era in Hungary as well. The dictatorial establishment
created a particular “subjected” relation with regards to the relation of politics
and society, which was also joined by a certain sense of defeat after the revo¬
lution of 1956. Society thus became even more exposed to political power, and
it had an even bigger effect on the attitude of different social groups as well as
on the intellectuals.*”
“Are you a party member?” — was the question at the university. I responded with
no, Iam not. Why, they ask. “We need people with commitment here, you know.”
(Subject no. 32, natural sciences)
Only people with good political standing could go to conferences or labs abroad
back then, this was an issue for me multiple times, it hindered my getting on. Not
everyone liked it if their inferiors used their brain or had different opinions. (Subject
no. 15, natural sciences)
305 Tbidem, 6.
306 "The words are in different (actually reverse) order here: in Hungarian promoting is tamogatds,
tolerating is türes, while banning is tiltas.
Valuch: A magyar müvelödes, 461.
Cf. Asztalos-Morell, I.: A mernöknö: Felszabaditott nö vagy pärtretorikai fegyelmezöeszköz
a személyi kultusz Magyarországán, Társadalmi Nemek Tudománya Interdiszciplináris
eFolyóirat 2018, 2(8), 147, http://epa.oszk.hu/03400/03462/00017/pdf/EPA03462_
tarsadalmi 2018 02 140-173.pdf (accessed 6 July 2020).
Cf. Valuch: A magyar művelődés.
307
308
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