The Pan-Arab Community in Hungary
A Narrative Exploration of Communication, Identity, and Value Change
Abstract
This paper examines the Pan-Arab community in Hungary as a social space in which individuals from diverse Arab backgrounds engage in ongoing processes of interaction, negotiation, and differentiation. Rather than treating the community as a homogeneous co-ethnic network, the study focuses on the internal dynamics that emerge among its members after migration. Drawing on ten narrative and in-depth interviews with Arab residents in Hungary, the analysis explores how identity, language, and values are reshaped through everyday encounters. The findings show that shared Arabness provides a basis for initial connection, yet it does not eliminate internal boundaries. Linguistic diversity, particularly dialect differences, structures inclusion and hierarchy, while moral expectations and social norms generate both solidarity and tension. The community thus operates as a relational field in which belonging is continuously negotiated rather than given. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative narrative approach that prioritizes meaning-making over generalization. By shifting attention from host-society integration to intra-community dynamics, the paper contributes to migration and acculturation research by highlighting how diasporic life is shaped through interactions among migrants themselves.
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