We kindly invite you to a lecture by Dr. Márton Matyasovszky‑Németh entitled “Kálmán Kulcsár and the Making of Hungarian Legal Sociology: Power, Compromise, and International Networks”, which will take place as part of Tuesday Meetings on Wednesday, 4 February 2026, at 11.00 am in the library of the Institute of Criminology at the Faculty of Law in Ljubljana.
It explores how Kulcsár simultaneously fulfilled three major, significant roles: Director of the Sociological Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1969–1983), the Academy’s senior leader responsible for social sciences (1983–1988), and later Minister of Justice preparing the legal foundations of the regime change (1988–1990). A central question driving the project is how such a diverse and extensive set of activities could fit into a single intellectual and political career.
Drawing on extensive archival material and interviews with Kulcsár’s contemporaries, the research investigates how he navigated the constraints of state socialism while building influential research programs in legal sociology, supporting the institutionalization of modern Hungarian sociology, and cultivating a new generation of scholars. Special attention is given to his international embeddedness – his early participation in global law and development debates, his collaborations with figures such as Upendra Baxi, Maureen Cain, Masaji Chiba, David M. Trubek, or Charles Tilly and his active involvement in organizations including the ISA RCSL and the Vienna Centre (European Coordination Centre for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences).
By combining sources from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Kulcsár’s personal papers, and a recently uncovered document collection spanning the late 1950s to the 1980s, the research reassesses the contradictory myths surrounding his legacy. It portrays Kulcsár as a complex actor whose influence—once celebrated and frequently contested – shaped sociology, legal scholarship, and Hungary’s democratic transition, even though his legacy has significantly faded from contemporary scholarly memory.
Márton Matyasovszky‑Németh is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Theory of Law and Society, Faculty of Law, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, and a research fellow at Széchenyi University, Győr. From 2021 to 2025, he served as Director of the Bibó István College for Advanced Studies at ELTE. His earlier research focused on the localization of human rights, with particular emphasis on the role of social stability and social rights in socio‑legal theory – an area that continues to inform his work. He is currently pursuing a major research project in the history of legal sociology, examining the life, institutional roles, and international networks of Kálmán Kulcsár, the founder of Hungarian legal sociology. This project seeks to reassess Kulcsár’s complex and often contested legacy and to situate Hungarian legal sociology within broader global intellectual currents.
Contact person and event moderator: prof. dr. Matjaž Jager
Video and audio recording of the event is not allowed.
