History Doctoral Student Patrick Leech was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for 2023-2024.

“I’m honored to be selected and excited about the work I will be doing in Hungary next academic year. As a bit of context, my areas of specialization are the Global Cold War and Hungary & Eastern Europe while also incorporating digital humanities skills developed at Baylor and from my prior IT career. My dissertation project is on the role of US-based Hungarian communities in the response to the Hungarian revolt and refugee crises of 1956-1957, how the arrival of the Hungarian refugees affected that diaspora community, and the participation of the expanded community in local, national, and international Cold War policies.  

I am currently a doctoral researcher with the The Post-1956 Refugee Crisis and Hungarian Émigré Communities During the Cold War Project at the Történettudományi Intézet (Institute of History) in the Bölcsészettudományi Kutatóközpont (Research Center for the Humanities) which is a major research center in Budapest. The Fulbright grant will allow me to work in person with my Hungarian-based colleagues in the construction of digital resources related to Hungarian refugees and the global Hungarian diaspora. It will also allow me to utilize materials unavailable to me in the US and share my work with an international audience of scholars and community members. Ultimately, this amazing opportunity will allow me to better understand Hungarian culture, be a better scholar, and hopefully develop lifelong relationships.” 

Read more about Leech’s award at Baylor's Grad School Research Profile. Patrick Leech is co-advised by Julie DeGraffenried and Stephen Sloan. 

Sic ‘em!