Acknowledgements

First, I need to highlight that none of what I have accomplished would have been possible without the support of Antal Babus, head of the Department of Manuscripts of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, who hosted my research project in Budapest, started in September 2017, from which this book originated. I need to express my wholehearted gratitude to him. I would like to thank the staff of the Department too, for their assistance during my visits.

I need to express sincere thanks an acknowledgment to Diana Hay as well, who has led my research at the Archives of the Academy in the right direction, and put the MVT dossier belonging to the MTA Department of International Relationships in my hand, while the documents were not yet provided with an inventory.

The research was funded by the Tempus Public Foundation to whom I would like to express my gratitude.

Tomáš Bubík deserves special mention for his inspiring outcome on the history of the Academic Studies of Religion in Central and Eastern Europe. His influence on some of the key issues of the book is relevant.

I would also like to show appreciation to András Máté-Tóth and the network he established on the topic of “Un(b)locking Religion” at the Department of Religious Studies of the University of Szeged and within the “International Study of Religion in Eastern and Central Europe Association”, by which I was stimulated when I elaborated on the issue “Religious Studies – un(b)locking”.

I have benefited greatly from conversations with Mihály Hoppál, Ábrahám Kovács, Miklós Vassányi, and Bulcsú Hoppál, on many occasions. Balázs Mezei, president of the Hungarian Association, supported my integration to the MVT, i.e. my participation in the MVT conferences in Budapest in 2018, and 2019. I am indebted to him for his precious help.

Tim Jensen, the president of the IAHR, encouraged me to pursue my studies on the history of the IAHR. The public interview I conducted with him as interviewer, The Academic Study of Religion from a Global Point of View. Tim Jensen and the IAHR (May 22, 2019, University of Rome, Roma Tre) represents a milestone in this research. The event was organized in cooperation with Alessandro Saggioro who supported a second event as well, that I chaired at La Sapienza of Rome, The Academic Study of Religion in Central and Eastern Europe: What Future? (April 8, 2019). My sincere appreciation and warmest thanks are extended to all of them, and to Giovanni Casadio too, who had introduced me to the study of Károly Marót in Italy, in 2015.

Even though they are cited in the footnotes, I acknowledge also here Mario Gandini, Richard Kuba, Erica Mosner, Federico Santangelo, Sheila Campbell, Ádám Szabó, Ágnes Bencze, Marcello Massenzio, Petra Brelich, who provided me with information, advice and/or material.

During my stay in Hungary, Tibor Keresztesi provided me with help in every administrative issue, for which I would like to thank him.

Acknowledgment is due to Brill editors, Numen Book Series, particularly to Brill’s assistant editor for Religious Studies. Tessa Schild has been kind and helpful during the production process of the text. I would like to thank my two peer reviewers for advice and suggestions.

Finally, but before anyone else, I would like to express gratitude to my wife, Orsolya Varsányi who knows this research project since its very first stage. I take this opportunity of acknowledging her valuable cooperation, translation of the Hungarian texts, advice and encouragement.

During the research, I presented some of the results of my work in conferences, i.e. the paper UNESCO and the Cold War: Archival Research in Hungary and Italy on the History of the International Association for the History of Religions during the ISORECEA conference at the University of Szeged (Hungary, May 25, 2018); the paper The Process of Affiliation – Memberships in Central and Eastern Europe of CIPSH/UNESCO and European Organizations for the Academic Study of Religions during the international symposium “Central European Identity” at the Szigliget Esterhazy-Mansion, organized by the Research Institute of Art Theory and Methodology of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (Hungary, May 14, 2019); the paper Science and Diplomacy: The Membership of the Hungarian National Group to the IAHR in the Context of the 1956 Revolution at the Conference of the European Association for the Study of Religions in the University of Tartu (Estonia, June 27, 2019); the paper Materials for a History of the MVT: A Research Project during the national conference of the MVT at the Hungarian National Museum, Budapest (Hungary, October 18, 2019).