Karolina Lendák-Kabók, leader of “MIXED” Research Group, presented her paper titled “Mixed Couples, Minority Rights, and Everyday Nationalism in Central and Southeastern Europe” on April 23, 2026, at the ASEN 2026: Nationalism, Democracy, & Freedom conference in Edinburgh.
The paper argues that mixed families make visible the unintended effects of minority-rights regimes: while designed to safeguard cultural diversity, they can simultaneously reproduce ethnic boundaries, create hierarchies of “legitimate” identities, and impose pressures to align with one national community over another. Through the lens of mixed couples, the paper highlights how minority-rights systems continue to operate as tools of everyday nationalism, structuring intimate life even within families that transcend ethnic divisions.