Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 11/09/2026How are Whiteness and Westness related? I'm organizing a panel at the Council of European Studies conference in Leiden, June 2027, relating white-but-not-quite Central Europe, Chile, Argentina to West-adjacent but not Western Japan, South Korea, etc. CfP: i.kalmar@utoronto.ca. 011
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 11/09/2026The postsocialist parts of the EU and Pacific East Asia (Japan, the two Koreas, etc.) are both at the periphery of the Global North: West-adjacent/White-adjacent. If interested in an online workshop on studying them together then contact i.kalmar@utoronto.ca. Spread the word!! 003
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Does anyone have information on cooperation between North Korea and East Bloc states in Europe (other than the USSR), during the Cold War? If so, I would much appreciate hearing from you. Please email i.kalmar@utoronto.ca 030
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 06/06/2026Ended my lectures in Japan on how not only Central Europe but also Japan may be "white but not quite" & how this impacts our understanding of peripheralization and racialization in general. Hope to explore more with colleagues I met here. Anyone else interested in the topic DM me! 030
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 26/05/2026What happens if we study peripheralization and racialization as seen not from the center but from the margins of the Global North: Central Europe and Japan? I explore this question in talks in Japan. Yesterday @seijouniversity I spoke w @79mid.bluesky.social & Š. Zorko. Thx H. Fukuda and E. Kato. 010
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Such a privilege to have talked about “White-Adjacent, West-Adjacent: Central Europe and Japan in the Racial Hierarchies of the West,” at Hokkaido University’s Slavic and Eurasian Centre, hosted by Prof. Yoko Aoshima. I learned a lot from the audience. 070
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 11/05/2026Roma children were asked to play a "Roma anthem" to the new Hungarian Parliament. Far fright deputies walked out (they also didn't like to hear the EU anthem). dailynewshungary.com/hungary-far-...dailynewshungary.comPolitical uproar erupts after far-right MPs walk out during Hungary’s parliamentary opening sessionThe scene sparked outrage among many viewers and politicians, particularly because the walkout coincided with the entrance of a group of tambura-playing children performing at the event. 010
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 06/05/2026The best assessment of the future of post-Orbán Hungary that I've seen, by @gscheiring.bsky.social . jacobin.com/2026/05/hung...jacobin.comDemocracy After Orbánism?Péter Magyar will be sworn in as Hungary’s new prime minister this week. His government has a strong technocratic thrust — a departure from Viktor Orbán’s cronyism but hardly a revitalization of demo... 010
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 19/04/2026Who was missing from Salvini's European Patriots rally in Milan? 1. Anyone from Orbán's party, 2. a large crowd. They couldn't even fill the Piazza del Duomo. milano.repubblica.it/cronaca/2026...milano.repubblica.itRemigration, Salvini riunisce i sovranisti ma non riempie piazza Duomo: “Ue e Fmi coppia malefica”Altri due cortei di dem e centri sociali attraversano la città: nel secondo, qualche momento di tensione con idranti e lancio di lacrimogeni 020
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 13/04/2026"Magyar stated Hungary's openness to cooperation with Russia," says the major Russian paper, Izvestia. And it ends with: "after the elections, the situation on the streets of Budapest remained tense." Were their reporters actually there? iz.ru/2078080/lide...iz.ruМадьяр заявил об открытости Венгрии к сотрудничеству с РФВенгрия открыта для прагматичному сотрудничеству с российской стороной. Об этом 13 апреля сообщил лидер партии «Тиса» Петер Мадьяр.«Я благодарю всех за поздравления, я также вижу, что Москва и Кремль, а также Пекин высказались», — сказал он на пресс-конференции.Мадьяр также поблагодарил Москву и Пекин за уважительное отношение к выбору венгерских избирателей и выразил готовность к взаимодействию на основе взаимного прагматизма. 010
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 13/04/2026"Magyar stated Hungary's openness to cooperation with Russia." This is how the Russian paper Izvestia titles its report on Magyar's election. And it ends with: "after the elections, the situation on the streets of Budapest remained tense." Were their reporters actually there? iz.ru/2078080/lide...iz.ruМадьяр заявил об открытости Венгрии к сотрудничеству с РФВенгрия открыта для прагматичному сотрудничеству с российской стороной. Об этом 13 апреля сообщил лидер партии «Тиса» Петер Мадьяр.«Я благодарю всех за поздравления, я также вижу, что Москва и Кремль, а также Пекин высказались», — сказал он на пресс-конференции.Мадьяр также поблагодарил Москву и Пекин за уважительное отношение к выбору венгерских избирателей и выразил готовность к взаимодействию на основе взаимного прагматизма. 010
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 12/04/2026Neither Trump nor Putin. A European Hungary shows the way forward to all of Europe. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEPZ...youtube.comFULL: Péter Magyar Declares “Historic Election Day” in Hungary Exit Poll Reaction Speech | AC1NYouTube video by DRM News 020
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 12/04/2026... meantime in Germany ... www.bbc.com/news/article...bbc.comGermany's AfD party adopts 'radical' manifesto ahead of pollsThe far-right party is riding high in the opinion polls in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. 020
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 12/04/2026Orbán congratulates Magyar and adds, "We'll never give up!" magyarnemzet.hu/belfold/2026...magyarnemzet.huOrbán Viktor: Mi soha nem adjuk fel!Polgári napilap és hírportál | Magyar Nemzet 000
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 12/04/2026Orbán decisively beaten, say poll analyses. Hungary was the harbinger of the illiberal ascendancy in the western world. Now it is the harbinger of its defeat. But beware: Orbánism will outlive Orbán's defeat, just like Trumpism will outlive Trump's. atlatszo.hu/adat/2026/04...atlatszo.huUtolsó pillanatos kutatások: Tisza 54-55%, Fidesz 38-40% – rekordrészvétel volt a választáson | atlatszo.huUrnazárás után tette közzé a választás előtti utolsó napokban készült kutatását a Medián, a 21 Kutatóközpont, és a Závecz Research, mindhárom igen hasonló eredm 040
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 12/04/2026TISZA solidly in the lead in Hungary, but nowhere near the 2/3 majority required to change institutions, according to atlatszo.hu 010
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 03/04/2026Classes are over at U of T for the 2025-26 year. I hope the students learned as much and have had as much fun as I have. 030
Reposted by Ivan KalmarKincso Biro @kincsobiro.bsky.social · 06/03/2026Have you read this? bsky.app/profile/szab... 021
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 16/03/2026The German new and revised edition of White But Not Quite: Central Europe's Illiberal Revolt is now out, and has been reviewed in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. www.faz.net/aktuell/feui...faz.netIvan Kalmar: „Die illiberale Revolte in der Mitte Europas“Warum sind ausgerechnet die Visegrád-Staaten Zentren des Illiberalismus? Für den Anthropologen Ivan Kalmar hängt die autoritäre Entwicklung in Osteuropa mit dem Rassismus des Westens zusammen. 061
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 06/03/2026Let's hope this is not what can gain Orbán votes. bbc.com/news/article...bbc.comHungary to expel seven Ukrainian bank workers in diplomatic row with KyivHungary says the workers were detained on suspicion of money laundering as a fierce row between the two countries escalates. 120
Reposted by Ivan KalmarNEVER AGAIN/NIGDY WIĘCEJ @neveragainnw.bsky.social · 04/03/2026The defendant, Prof. Pankowski is represented by Dr Wojciech Marchwicki of the Rödl & Partner law firm, author of numerous publications on constitutional law, regularly recommended by international legal rankings as a leading lawyer in Poland. publicystyka.ngo.pl/free-speech-...publicystyka.ngo.plFree Speech at Stake in Polish Legal Battle over 1941 Pogrom TruthA Polish far-right activist with US links is suing a co-founder of the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association. At the centre of the case are issues of freedom of speech, Holocaust distortion and the 1941 pogrom in... 023
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 19/02/2026"As much as we like to see ourselves as part of so-called developed Europe, we're still closer to countries like Bulgaria than to France (...) current events – and perhaps even what ... Macinka said in Munich – only confirm this." - K. Veselý, @denikalarm.bsky.social www.expats.cz/czech-news/a...expats.czWhat happened in Munich? Macinka's viral Clinton clash exposes a divided CzechiaThe Czech foreign minister's culture-war pivot was a defining symbol of Munich's deepest tension: populist vs. progressive visions of the West. 010
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 17/02/2026Rubio to Orbán: "... your success is our success." Refuses to meet with the Hungarian opposition. www.euronews.com/2026/02/16/w...euronews.com‘We want you to continue,’ Rubio tells Orbán ahead of key electionsThe US Secretary of State praised the Hungarian prime minister's relationship with Donald Trump as his ruling Fidesz Party trails the opposition ahead of an April election. Orbán has endorsed a peaceful transfer of power if he is defeated. 000
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 13/02/2026The new & revised version of White But Not Quite in German is coming out in March, and I was just shown the cover! www.picus.at/produkt/weis...picus.atWeiß, aber nicht ganz - Picus VerlagOstmitteleuropäer sind im Vergleich zu Westeuropäern politisch unterentwickelt? Autoritätshörig? Diktaturaffin? Die lange Zeit unter sowjetischer Herrschaft hat sie entmündigt? Keineswegs. In den vier... 150
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 08/02/2026The Church rules Giorgia Meloni is not an angerl. www.bbc.com/news/article...bbc.comChurch fresco resembling Italian PM has face scrubbed out after outrageThe artist who painted the cherub has admitted it was Giorgia Meloni's face, as the Rome church sees a steady flow of curious visitors. 000
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 01/02/2026Slovak minister pitched the PM, Robert Fico, via Epstein for Steve Bannon's project for a right turn in European politics. This, according to some Slovak media, is in the Epstein files. www.sme.sk/komentare/c/...sme.skPrečo by nás mali zaujímať Lajčákove odkazy pre sexuálneho predátora EpsteinaAko sa z diplomatickej korešpondencie stala kronika pedofila. 031
Reposted by Ivan KalmarRod Earle @rodearle.bsky.social · 27/01/2026This is behind a paywall but well worth a read, a good introduction to some of the ways whiteness is avoided, misunderstood and underestimated. Dm for a copy 011
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 26/01/2026Very grateful to Louis Howard Porter for a gracious review of my book White But Not Quite and its contribution to understand how racialization functions in postcommunist Europe. doi.org/10.1017/slr....doi.orgThree Challenges to Racial Innocence - Ed. Catherine Baker, Bogdan C. Iacob, Anikó Imre, and James Mark. Off White: Central and Eastern Europe and the Global History of Race. Manchester: Manchester Un...Three Challenges to Racial Innocence - Ed. Catherine Baker, Bogdan C. Iacob, Anikó Imre, and James Mark. Off White: Central and Eastern Europe and the Global History of Race. Manchester: Manchester Un... 010
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 22/01/2026Me: "Do you have a bias that could be described as Western?" AI: "Yes, almost certainly. I was built by a San Francisco company, trained predominantly on English-language text, and my training data massively overrepresents perspectives from Western academic, journalistic, and internet discourse." 030
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 15/01/2026The brutal postwar decrees hitting Germans and Hungarians in Czechoslovakia wouldn't stand up to human rights standards today. But it's worrying how Péter Magyar, who might replace Orbán, is joining this trivial naming dispute to attract reactionary nationalists. telex.hu/english/2026...telex.huSlovak president responds to Magyar's open letter, says referring to Slovakia as Felvidék is an insultPeter Pellegrini was responding to a letter written by the Tisza Party president to Slovak PM Fico about the recently adopted law in Slovakia which, Magyar said violates human rights, causes fear, div... 000
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 13/01/2026A lively discussion followed the brilliant @manuelaboatca.bsky.social's presentation at the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies of U of Toronto's Munk School yesterday, discussing her and Anca Parvulescu's book, Creolizing the Modern. 1110
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 12/01/2026He may not stay in Budapest too long; perhaps they'll both have to go to Moscow if Orbán falls as well. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...theguardian.comHungary grants asylum to former Polish minister amid abuse of power investigationFormer justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro faces allegations he ran a criminal group while in government 121
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 15/12/2025One of the victims of the antisemitic attack in Sidney was a Slovak-Australian Holocaust survivor, Marika Pogany, a friend of the former Slovak president, Zuzana Čaputová. www.facebook.com/zcaputova/po...facebook.comZuzana ČaputováV Sydney opäť zabíjala nenávisť. Správy o teroristickom útoku v Sydney ma veľmi zasiahli. Útočníci sa rozhodli popraviť členov židovskej komunity, ktorí sa stretli k oslave sviatku Chanuka. Je to... 020
Reposted by Ivan KalmarAnton Shekhovtsov @shekhovtsov.substack.com · 15/12/2025Markus Frohnmaier of the German far-right AfD meets a US State Department official, praises MAGA, attacks Europe’s political direction – and has a long record of pro-Kremlin engagement. This article connects the dots: shekhovtsov.substack.com/p/from-mosco... 33824
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 03/12/2025Salvini, leader of the even-more-right-wing opposition: "I dream of Italy reopening bridges to Russia before the others." 1. Salvini doesn't think Hungary and Slovakia are important enough for him to include among "the others." 2. No comment. www.repubblica.it/politica/202...repubblica.itSalvini: “Sogno che l’Italia riapra i ponti con la Russia prima degli altri”La Lega frena ancora sulle armi all’Ucraina. Romeo: “No a missili a lungo raggio, decreto di proroga aiuti non allineato al percorso negoziale” 110
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 28/11/2025Czech foundations drops plan to buy Ukrainian Flamingo missiles, due to alleged corruption. kyivindependent.com/czech-founda...kyivindependent.comCzech foundation drops Flamingo missile donation amid Ukraine corruption probesThe Czech foundation Gift for Putin will no longer buy Flamingo cruise missiles from Ukrainian weapons maker Fire Point due to connections to a recent corruption scandal, local media reported. "We co... 041
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 28/11/2025In Moscow, Putin told Orbán that it was Trump's idea to hold a US-Russia summit on Ukraine in Budapest, according to the Orbán mouthpiece, the newspaper Magyar Nemzet. magyarnemzet.hu/kulfold/2025...magyarnemzet.huEgy lépéssel közelebb a budapesti békecsúcs? – videón Orbán Viktor és Vlagyimir Putyin találkozójaMagyarországon vannak jelenleg a legalacsonyabb energiaárak Európában. 030
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 20/11/2025I just got news from Bristol University Press that they granted translation rights to a Polish publisher. I don't know yet who that is, but I'm overjoyed. I always wanted the book to be accessible in Polish. Ale się cieszę! 070
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 08/11/2025Orbán is not "echoing" Trump, as the article says. He was there first. Trump is echoing him, if anything. www.bbc.com/news/article...bbc.comTrump gives Hungary one-year exemption from Russian energy sanctionsThe opt-out comes despite the US increasing pressure on allies to sever economic ties with Russia. 020
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 07/11/2025Fascinating article by James Renton on the origins of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and its entanglements with islamophobia. www.middleeastmonitor.com/20251028-mus...middleeastmonitor.comMuslim surveillance: The real story behind the IHRA definition of anti-SemitismIn May 2016, an organisation of Western governments headquartered in Berlin, called the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), adopted a definition of anti-Semitism that incorporates … 000
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 29/10/2025Slovak cartoon: "Politicians have made a law to set up a walking speed limit of 6 km/h. Finally! A measure to slow down the departure of young people from the country." 051
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 23/10/2025Hundreds of thousands demonstrate in Budapest against the Orbán government, while opposition leader Péter Magyar leads in the polls with an agenda ("moderate" to be sure) of social justice. www.reddit.com/r/europe/com...reddit.comFrom the europe community on Reddit: It seems we are witnessing the largest demonstration in Budapest so farExplore this post and more from the europe community 030
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 17/10/2025In Egypt, Trump explicitly wished Orbán good luck in the upcoming elections. Choosing to meet with Putin in Budapest is another gift to this architectsof "illiberal democracy," who is facing a very serious electoral challenge. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...theguardian.comHungary to ensure Putin can enter Budapest for summit with Trump – Europe liveRussian president is facing arrest warrrant from International Criminal Court for war crimes 020
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 07/10/2025It seems that in the Czech parliamentary election, there was a successful effort by voters to elect female candidates. denikn.cz/1859395/vysl...denikn.czVýsledek je pro nás šok, překonali jsme kritickou masu, říká vedoucí iniciativy Zakroužkuj ženu„Před čtyřmi lety jsme co chvíli četli, jak si vymýšlíme a že si tu ženy přece žijí úplně stejný život jako muži a my chceme jen tupě prosazovat jedno pohlaví bez ohledu na kompetence,“ říká v rozhovo... 140
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 05/10/2025In the Czech parliamentary elections, parties from the left to the centre-right received 89.59% of the vote, and A. Babiš's "populist" ANO only 3.24% - among Czech voters in Canada. (Not quite so back home.) www.seznamzpravy.cz/p/vysledky-v...seznamzpravy.czVolby 2025 a Kanada - Výsledky voleb onlineVolby 2025: Kanada – aktuální výsledky online – průběžné i konečné. Všechny informace o volbách a jejich průběhu přehledně. 021
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 28/09/2025Orbán's mouthpiece newspaper Magyar Nemzet revels in Trump's plans to prosecute George Soros, Orbán's long-term obsession. This is perhaps the most striking of the many parallels between Hungarian and American autocracy today. magyarnemzet.hu/kulfold/2025...magyarnemzet.huSorosék ellen hamarosan vádat emelhetnekA Trump-kormányzat ezzel a USAID leépítése után a baloldali korrupciós hálózat másik fontos pillérét ütheti ki. 020
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 12/09/2025The Progressive Slovakia party is the country's most popular, ahead of the leading "populist" Smer. www.politico.eu/europe-poll-...politico.euPOLITICO Poll of Polls — Slovakian polls, trends and election news for SlovakiaPOLLING FROM ACROSS EUROPE. UPDATED DAILY. Slovakia — National parliament voting intention What is Poll of Polls and how does it work? Read more here. Slovakia — European election 2024 results… 030
Ivan Kalmar @ivan-kalmar.bsky.social · 05/09/2025Looks like even Fico could not refuse to sign this statement; Orbán could. www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/ukraine...eeas.europa.euUkraine/Russia: Statement by the High Representative on the latest Russian attacks against UkraineThis statement is supported by 26 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembo... 000