The impact of the Parliament on country branding and national identity

Abstract

The 21st century is an era of globalization, of changes and transformations of cultures and national identity patterns representing different values and value systems. As a result of these transformations, new concepts, national symbols, and even ceremonies and ceremonial orders may be born, and the process of enculturation requires an increasingly emphatic and well-thought-out strategy from the leaders of nation-states. The national theme has become a determining force in Hungary in recent decades. The Hungarian Parliament has always played a significant role in the historical and cultural past and memory of Hungarian society. The Parliament is one of the most famous buildings for both tourists and Hungarians. In October 2011, the Parliament passed a law declaring Kossuth Square a national memorial. On the occasion of the ten-year anniversary, it is possible to examine what it has achieved in the Hungarian national enculturation as well as in the judgment of the Hungarians, in the self-representation of the country.