Propaganda – history, art and media in World War I (conference)

Two-day international interdisciplinary conference related to NSZL’s exhibition entitled “Propaganda in World War I”

Related to its exhibition entitled Propaganda in World War I, NSZL organized an international scientific session entitled Propaganda – history, art and media in World War I. The two-day conference will take place on January 22-23, 2016, and it will be delivered in the interdisciplinary medium of three major disciplines including history and the history of literature and art. Prestigious lecturers approach their topics from the viewpoint of the history of culture of World War I and that of the phenomena and function of literature, history, press and propaganda. Secretaries of the scientific session are László Boka, Iván Bertényi, Jr. and Anikó Katona. Venue of the lectures is the Ceremonial Hall on Floor 6 of National Széchényi Library.

 

Friday January 22, 2016

9.30 – Opening speech – Gáspár Gróh

Plenary lecture

9.45–10.15 – Prof. Dr. Ignác Romsics: World War I – from the perspective of 100 years

 

Section 1: Propaganda and press in World War I (Chairman: Iván Bertényi, Jr.)

10.15–10.35 – László Z. Karvalics (University of Szeged): The Great War and propaganda: some directions of discourse development (Irregular historiography)
10.35–10.55 – Vince Paál: Control of the press in Hungary during the years of the Great War
10.55–11.15 – Tibor Balla (Military History Institute and Museum): Organization and operation of the Austro-Hungarian press headquarters in World War I

Comments, break 11.15–11.30

11.30–11.50 – Tibor Klestenitz (HAS Research Centre for the Humanities, Institute of History): Judgment of the Great War in the Hungarian press
11.50–12.10 – Andrea Kreutzer (Military History Institute and Museum): About the world war ventures of the Légrády concern (Érdekes Újság (Interesting Newspaper) and its War Album, Kis Érdekes (Tiny Interesting), Képes Újság (Illustrated Journal), coronation album and festive gifts for subscribers)
12.10–12.30 – Boldizsár Vörös (HAS Research Centre for the Humanities, Institute of History): Spaces, masses, films. Events in Hungarian newsreels in 1915 and 1919
12.30–12.50 – Iván Bertényi, Jr. (Hungarian Historical Institute of Vienna): Nailing statues – a Central European war propaganda phenomenon

Comments, lunch 12.50–14.00

 

Section 2: Us and them – Allies and (images of) enemies in propaganda (Chairman: Vilmos Kovács)

14.00–14.20 – Péter Bihari (Mihály Fazekas Practicing Primary and Secondary School, Budapest): Images from the Great War: enemies and allies
14.20–14.40 – Dr. Roman Holec (Comenius University in Bratislava and the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of History): Austria–Hungary as “killer of small nations” (Czechoslovak propaganda against the Habsburg Monarchy during the war and immediately after 1918)
14.40–15.00 – Ferenc Pollmann (Military History Institute and Museum): Atrocity propaganda and the Austro-Hungarian-Serb war
15.00–15.20 – Tamás Székely (HAS Research Centre for the Humanities, Institute of History): Cult of allied rulers in Hungary during World War I
15.20–15.40 – Norbert Stencinger (Great War Public Foundation): “We turn to you with confidence and hope” – camp prayer books, battlefield prayers

Comments, break 15.40–16.00

 

Section 3: Text, form, propaganda in the everyday life of the front and hinterland (Chairman: Ignác Romsics)

16.00–16.20 – Vilmos Kovács (Military History Institute and Museum): Hungarian military industry in the hinterland during World War I
16.20–16.40 – Emese Szoleczky (Military History Institute and Museum):  “Happy, peaceful infantry entrenchment?”
16.40–17.00 – Miklós Zeidler (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities): “Cards of the Hungarian fate” – patriotic card game for children
17.00–17.20 – Szilvia Závodi (Military History Institute and Museum): War propaganda on everyday objects
17.20–17.40 – Róbert Török (Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism): “Weighing lasts only till the stock lasts”– food and colonial traders in World War

 

Saturday January 23, 2016

Plenary lecture

9.30–10.00 – Prof. em. Géza Buzinkay: Press and/or propaganda during World War I

 

Section 4: Propaganda and form versions of the press (Chairman: László Boka)

10.00–10.20 – Dániel Szabó (HAS Research Centre for the Humanities, Institute of History): Hungarian press at the outbreak of the war, countryside and city, newspaper and journalist
10.20–10.40 – Eszter Balázs (Kodolányi János University of Applied Sciences): Wartime matinees, wartime afternoons, military speeches (1914–1916): spontaneous or organized propaganda?
10.40–11.00 – Anikó Katona (Hungarian National Gallery): War poster: effective weapon or patriotic kitsch?

Comments, break 11.00–11.20

 

Section 5: “What can a poet do…?” –pacifism and anti-propaganda in literature (Chairman: Eszter Balázs)

11.20–11.40 – Miklós Veres (Petőfi Literary Museum): Wars of the next century – Mór Jókai and World War I
11.40–12.00 – Péter Csunderlik: “Spread your wings, Grail swan!”–patriotic “trash poetry” in Háborús antológia (War Anthology) of 1916
12.00-12.20 – László Boka (National Széchényi Library): “Songs from the great times?” –popular war anthologies and pacifist poets outside the circle of Nyugat (West)
12.20–12.40 – Zsuzsanna Rózsafalvi (National Széchényi Library): Works and genres on war by Tamás Emőd on Artúr Bárdos’ Modern Stage

Comments, lunch 12.40–14.00

14.00–14.20 – Andrea Borbás (Petőfi Literary Museum): “But poems are being written”, or replies of Ady’s oeuvre to the question “What a writer should do against war?”
14.20–14.30 – Beatrix Visy (National Széchényi Library):  Poem as anti-propaganda – on the antiwar poetry of Mihály Babits
14.30–14.50 – Zsófia Szilágyi (University of Szeged): “What happened to him had no sign and word”–on the difficulties of war as a literary topic, on the basis of stories: Hell by Dezső Kosztolányi and The Axe by Zsigmond Móricz
14.50–15.10 – Anna Cséve (Petőfi Literary Museum): Mirror (Parts 1-9) Manuscript book series by Zsigmond Móricz (1914–1918)

Comments, break 15.10–15.30

 

Section 6: Exhibition and studio – fine arts during World War I (Chairman: Anikó Katona)

15.30–15.50 – Miklós Székely (HAS Research Centre for the Humanities, Institute of Art History): Exhibitions around the front
15.50–16.10 – Enikő Róka (HAS Research Centre for the Humanities): Art and artists in World War I. An exhibition
16.10–16.30 – György Szücs (Hungarian National Gallery): Cafe, studio and entrenchment, or the adventures of Sergeant Herman in the world war
16.30–16.50 – Jenő Murádin: Transylvanian artists on the front of World War I

Comments, break 16.50–17.15

17.15 – Guided tour of the exhibition entitled Propaganda in World War I