The Sociocultural Benefits of Integration Processes

The integrational processes, which may refer to patterns and forms of cooperation at the regional, societal or international level, are an integral part of our globalized world today. The intensifying connections and relations between nations, ethnicities and individual communities do not only result in economic, societal or cultural changes, but also lead to profound sociocultural consequences that can be interpreted in a holistic manner. The impact of these processes can cause complex and multi-directional changes, promoting cultural diversity, while also affecting the social cohesion required for national or ethnical identity construction in the participating communities as well as in the customs and traditions preserved and operated by them. Said impact can also launch further societal processes, which can have an effect on their own specific environments.

One of the most significant sociocultural benefits of integration could be the strengthening of cultural exchange. The flow of people(s), together with their intellectual cultural assets and values, can facilitate the spread of new knowledge. Thanks to integrational processes, opportunities may arise for the various nations to grow closer to each other, get to know the others’ traditions, language(s) and way(s) of thinking. This process can also reinforce tolerance and openness, all the while creating new cultural syntheses. Nevertheless, integration is not only a unifying factor. It can also act as a differentiating force, causing the national, regional and fundamentally local identities to be reevaluated. Currently, individuals and communities are seeking for their proper place in the global and, at the same time, multi-national space. Because of this, it is a common occurrence that the need to preserve one’s identity and the connected role of individual actions are more pronounced than the forces of cultural homogenization. Integration can not only bring about the mixing of cultural elements but can also give rise to conscious self-determination.

Hereby, we are calling for papers not only about local case studies, but also about regional and trans-national patterns to be published in the 2026 volume of Ethnographica et Folkloristica Carpathica.

The contributions can be submitted either in English or in German.

The deadline for submission is the 1^st of May, 2026.

When you prepare your manuscript for submission, use the author guidelines instructions (Submit online menu item). Please read and follow them as closely as possible, as doing so will ensure that your paper matches the journal’s formal requirements.