A társadalomtörténész szakma a fiatal kutatók szemével

Absztrakt

Over the past decades, scholars in the social sciences and the humanities have faced many challenges, having to respond both to the pressures of the global capitalist knowledge industry, with its reliance on scientometrics, and to the homogenising and centralising tendencies of the populist regime in Hungary. Large-scale surveys conducted in recent years revealed that these difficulties were most acutely felt by early-career researchers. For them, entry into the historical profession has become increasingly uncertain, while holding multiple jobs, leaving the field, and deteriorating mental well-being became the norm. This study draws on semi-structured interviews to analyse the current situation of early-career social historians. Identifying the problems perceived as most significant, it examines how these relate to funding shortages, structural inequalities, and societal perceptions of historiography in Hungary. In addition, it provides an overview of early-career researchers’ perspectives on their profession, both in terms of broader trends in social history and strategies navigating the Hungarian institutional system.