In 1920, the Hungarian parliament introduced an anti-Jewish quota for admission to universities, thus making Hungary the first country in Europe to pass antisemitic legislation in the post-World War I period. On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the so-called ‘numerus clausus law’, we are organizing an international conference to examine the history of restrictive ethnic and racial quotas in the first half of the twentieth century.

The conference aims to explore the ideologies of quota regimes and the ways they have been justified, implemented, challenged and remembered. We will discuss the historical origins of quotas, the moral, legal and political arguments developed by their supporters and opponents; the domestic and international debates surrounding anti-minority quotas; as well as the consequences – both intended and unintended – of their implementation. Particularly attention is paid to the role played by the Hungarian ‘numerus clausus’, not only as a model for other restrictive quotas, but also as a touchstone in the larger debates about liberalism, the “Jewish Question,” and the “Refugee Question” in the interwar period.

The conference will take place on Zoom on November 23 – 24, 2020 between 3.00 to 6.15 PM (CET).

All participants must register online here.

Registration closes at midnight CET on Thursday 19th November 2020.