Transnational Community vs. Socialist Cultural Diplomacy: creating the international Kodály Society in Cold War Hungary (1960s-1970s)

This article examines the clash between top‑down state socialist agendas and bottom‑up transnational community aspirations as viewed through the 1975 founding of the International Kodály Society (IKS) in Hungary. The IKS, born from an informal network connecting Hungarian Kodály‑method advocates with global music educators, faced tension as Hungarian authorities sought to bring it under state control for international propaganda. The article traces the origins of the Kodály‑method’s global promotion, highlighting the role of Hungarian mediators, of US financial and institutional support, and the subsequent appropriation attempts by the Hungarian state that aimed to capitalize on the method’s popularity for socialist cultural diplomacy. Through this example, the article sheds light on the broader features of conflict and interdependency between state and non‑state actors during the Cold War. It explores the tension between competitive Cold War cultural diplomacy and the collaborative rationale of professional networks, revealing the limitations of state authorities in the face of established transnational dynamics. The study concludes by highlighting the resilience of the trans‑Atlantic Kodály‑community against state efforts to shape it into an international propaganda tool.