(Museum–Universe. Approaches) Patrimony, museum and communication all play a determining role in the everyday life of contemporary societies, on the international, national, regional or local level as well, starting with the creation and... more
(Museum–Universe. Approaches)
Patrimony, museum and communication all play a determining role in the everyday life of contemporary societies, on the international, national, regional or local level as well, starting with the creation and transmitting of social objects and meanings up to identity construction (production), economic and cultural resource production, experience production, leisure, and the list can go on forever. In the meantime – specifically because of their multiple level role in the process of society construction – these three have a common feature, which is they are all malleable notions, and regarding the different situations of application and interpretation, respectively the different levels of analysis, there can be divergent interpretations and even contradictions. And although all three notions are flexible enough to afford different interpretations, we cannot really talk about a consolidated approach on the international level regarding the concepts of patrimony and museum or the existence of communication (especially related to the fields of patrimony and museums). The present paper aims to draw attention to the fact that while the museum researches and exposes the difference of cultures, it does so in order to make us understand the other culture better, to assure a kind of interaction with it, and finally to make us consciously acquire the values of the “other”. So the museum has to educate and to transmit the culture of acceptance and equity.
Patrimony, museum and communication all play a determining role in the everyday life of contemporary societies, on the international, national, regional or local level as well, starting with the creation and transmitting of social objects and meanings up to identity construction (production), economic and cultural resource production, experience production, leisure, and the list can go on forever. In the meantime – specifically because of their multiple level role in the process of society construction – these three have a common feature, which is they are all malleable notions, and regarding the different situations of application and interpretation, respectively the different levels of analysis, there can be divergent interpretations and even contradictions. And although all three notions are flexible enough to afford different interpretations, we cannot really talk about a consolidated approach on the international level regarding the concepts of patrimony and museum or the existence of communication (especially related to the fields of patrimony and museums). The present paper aims to draw attention to the fact that while the museum researches and exposes the difference of cultures, it does so in order to make us understand the other culture better, to assure a kind of interaction with it, and finally to make us consciously acquire the values of the “other”. So the museum has to educate and to transmit the culture of acceptance and equity.
Research Interests:
(The Banat Czechs. Colonialisation, Social organisation and Identity) The study describes the settlement, the way of life and situation of the Czechs in the Banat after the regime change in 1989. Since the first half of the 19th century,... more
(The Banat Czechs. Colonialisation, Social organisation and Identity)
The study describes the settlement, the way of life and situation of the Czechs in the Banat after the regime change in 1989. Since the first half of the 19th century, the Czechs arriving in several waves, established their own settlements in the south-western part of the country, in the mountains covered with forests along the banks of the Danube. Initially they were engaged in logging, then in mining during the Communist Era. Before the regime change, their number was around 5,500, but it fell to 1,576 in 2021, partly due to the natural decline of the population and partly because of the immigration of the younger generation to the Czech Republic. Since then, remigration and ethnic tourism from the mother country have increased. The study seeks to answer the following questions: which migration patterns prevail, what happened to the communities of origin, how its meaning has been transformed among Czech migrants, how the homeland is represented in migration discourse and how Czechs from the motherland are seeking traditional rurality, exotic experiences and “time travel”, in turn influencing the ethnicity of ethnic Czechs in Romania.
The study describes the settlement, the way of life and situation of the Czechs in the Banat after the regime change in 1989. Since the first half of the 19th century, the Czechs arriving in several waves, established their own settlements in the south-western part of the country, in the mountains covered with forests along the banks of the Danube. Initially they were engaged in logging, then in mining during the Communist Era. Before the regime change, their number was around 5,500, but it fell to 1,576 in 2021, partly due to the natural decline of the population and partly because of the immigration of the younger generation to the Czech Republic. Since then, remigration and ethnic tourism from the mother country have increased. The study seeks to answer the following questions: which migration patterns prevail, what happened to the communities of origin, how its meaning has been transformed among Czech migrants, how the homeland is represented in migration discourse and how Czechs from the motherland are seeking traditional rurality, exotic experiences and “time travel”, in turn influencing the ethnicity of ethnic Czechs in Romania.
Research Interests:
(Quarantine Culture and Pandemic Existence. The Impact of the Pandemic on Everyday Life) In order to understand, to narrate/describe the Covid-19 pandemic, to understand its functioning, to understand the world surrounding us, and to... more
(Quarantine Culture and Pandemic Existence. The Impact of the Pandemic on Everyday Life)
In order to understand, to narrate/describe the Covid-19 pandemic, to understand its functioning, to understand the world surrounding us, and to understand all those social practices, which have been transforming everyday life before our very eyes, we suggest the use – and the differentiation – of two notions: quarantine culture and pandemic existence. During their differentiation we start from the basic hypothesis that quarantine represents a transitory condition, which – even if it has brought significant changes on the level of everyday practices and created numerous patterns of cultural behaviour – regarding the social handling of the pandemic represents the level of quick decisions, taken in the rush of the given moment, but well defined in time. In the other hand pandemic existence represents a long-lasting condition, remaining continuously in the present, but being able to determine the future as well.
In order to understand, to narrate/describe the Covid-19 pandemic, to understand its functioning, to understand the world surrounding us, and to understand all those social practices, which have been transforming everyday life before our very eyes, we suggest the use – and the differentiation – of two notions: quarantine culture and pandemic existence. During their differentiation we start from the basic hypothesis that quarantine represents a transitory condition, which – even if it has brought significant changes on the level of everyday practices and created numerous patterns of cultural behaviour – regarding the social handling of the pandemic represents the level of quick decisions, taken in the rush of the given moment, but well defined in time. In the other hand pandemic existence represents a long-lasting condition, remaining continuously in the present, but being able to determine the future as well.
Research Interests:
The village today is only partially what we used to know of in the past, our previous image rooted in a sinking world, nothing but memories. In the 21st century, even in rural communities, the daily routine, practices and strategies of... more
The village today is only partially what we used to know of in the past, our previous image rooted in a sinking world, nothing but memories. In the 21st century, even in rural communities, the daily routine, practices and strategies of economic life are determined by the processes of modernization and globalization, in conjunction with information and communication technologies along with the wideranging proliferation of digital devices. It can be said that life in the 21st century village also shows a simultaneous constraint of modernization (the constraint of evolution and change) and the presence of masses incapable of changing (even if their number is continuously decreasing). The coexistence and confrontation of these opposing forces and ideologies characterizes the Hungarian/Transylvanian rural space in Romania during the 21st century. All these have led to the degradation of previous community patterns, resulting in the faltering position of tradition as well as a major change in the role it plays in the life of said communities.
Research Interests:
(All This is Countryside. The Transformation of Rural Existential Forms and Cultural Practices in the 21st Century) The fundamental aim of the research was to reveal the present of the Transylvanian rural society, but also the near past,... more
(All This is Countryside. The Transformation of Rural Existential Forms and Cultural Practices in the 21st Century)
The fundamental aim of the research was to reveal the present of the Transylvanian rural society, but also the near past, which can be found and reconstructed from individual memories, to discover the coexistence, complementing or the opposite, the confrontation and conflicts of archaic – but constantly changing – and new, previously non-existing (e.g. determined by digital devices and the Internet, appearing in the online) cultural behaviours in the last fifteen years. The research dealt with the characteristics of the rural in the 21st century, massively influenced by globalization and the digital revolution, but it also attempted to offer a new and complete interpretational frame for the ethnographic approach of rurality, but also to the understanding of the newly shaping rural habits. In the same time it attempts to place these processes in a deeper context of time.
The fundamental aim of the research was to reveal the present of the Transylvanian rural society, but also the near past, which can be found and reconstructed from individual memories, to discover the coexistence, complementing or the opposite, the confrontation and conflicts of archaic – but constantly changing – and new, previously non-existing (e.g. determined by digital devices and the Internet, appearing in the online) cultural behaviours in the last fifteen years. The research dealt with the characteristics of the rural in the 21st century, massively influenced by globalization and the digital revolution, but it also attempted to offer a new and complete interpretational frame for the ethnographic approach of rurality, but also to the understanding of the newly shaping rural habits. In the same time it attempts to place these processes in a deeper context of time.
Research Interests:
(The memory of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife and of the last coronation at Cluj. Narrative contruction of events) The study presents the memorial strategies and forms that were in use in Cluj after the... more
(The memory of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife and of the last coronation at Cluj. Narrative contruction of events)
The study presents the memorial strategies and forms that were in use in Cluj after the assassination of the Archduke of Austria and his wife in Sarajevo (28 June 1914), respectively the aposiopesis regarding the narrative visualization of loyalty to the crown. It aims to discover the way how the city experienced and expressed the national festivity of the coronation; the characters, events, forms and practices of the festivity of coronation in the local society, how the local public space was expropriated and reorganized; the social demands and functions that were fulfilled; the image(s) of the evoked past and of the adumbrated future produced and legitimated by the events of the festivity. How did the media create and expose the public memory of the Archduke of Austria and his wife? What patterns were followed by this cult-strategy and what were the antecedents to correspond to?
The study presents the memorial strategies and forms that were in use in Cluj after the assassination of the Archduke of Austria and his wife in Sarajevo (28 June 1914), respectively the aposiopesis regarding the narrative visualization of loyalty to the crown. It aims to discover the way how the city experienced and expressed the national festivity of the coronation; the characters, events, forms and practices of the festivity of coronation in the local society, how the local public space was expropriated and reorganized; the social demands and functions that were fulfilled; the image(s) of the evoked past and of the adumbrated future produced and legitimated by the events of the festivity. How did the media create and expose the public memory of the Archduke of Austria and his wife? What patterns were followed by this cult-strategy and what were the antecedents to correspond to?
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
(Characteristics of the Transylvanian Rural Area after European Integration) The village today is only partially what we used to know of in the past, our previous image was rooted in a sinking world, nothing but memories. In the 21st... more
(Characteristics of the Transylvanian Rural Area after European Integration)
The village today is only partially what we used to know of in the past, our previous image was rooted in a sinking world, nothing but memories. In the 21st century even in rural communities the daily routine, the practices and strategies of economic life are determined by the processes of modernization and globalization, the informational and communicational technologies, respectively the wide spreading of digital devices. We could say that in the life of the 21st century village we can see in the same time a kind of constraint of modernization (the constraint of evolution and change) and the presence of the masses incapable of changing (even if their number is continuously decreasing), and the coexistence and confrontation of these two opposite forces and ideologies characterizes the Hungarian/Transylvanian rural space from Romania in the 21st century. All these have started the degradation of the previous patterns of communities, resulting the falter of the position of tradition and a major change in the role it plays in the life of the communities.
The village today is only partially what we used to know of in the past, our previous image was rooted in a sinking world, nothing but memories. In the 21st century even in rural communities the daily routine, the practices and strategies of economic life are determined by the processes of modernization and globalization, the informational and communicational technologies, respectively the wide spreading of digital devices. We could say that in the life of the 21st century village we can see in the same time a kind of constraint of modernization (the constraint of evolution and change) and the presence of the masses incapable of changing (even if their number is continuously decreasing), and the coexistence and confrontation of these two opposite forces and ideologies characterizes the Hungarian/Transylvanian rural space from Romania in the 21st century. All these have started the degradation of the previous patterns of communities, resulting the falter of the position of tradition and a major change in the role it plays in the life of the communities.
Research Interests:
In the first half of the 19th century, Czech colonists have established several colonies, especially in the wood-covered mountains found along the lower reaches of the Danube, in the south-western region of Romania. Before the regime... more
In the first half of the 19th century, Czech colonists have established several colonies, especially in the wood-covered mountains found along the lower reaches of the Danube, in the south-western region of Romania. Before the regime change, Romania had a Czech population of 5500. After 1989, the Czech-speaking, Roman Catholic population has become involved in an increased outward migration to Czech Republic. According to the 1992 census, their population numbered 5797 persons. The 2011 census put their numbers at 2477, which means a 57% decrease in less than a decade.
What do the figures reflect? What kind of migration patterns are at work here, and what is the fate of the source communities? How do the meanings attached to the localities of origin change among Czech emigrants? How does the native land appear in the migration discourse? And how do the Czech tourists from the motherland, looking for traditional rurality, the experience of exoticism, and “time travel”, influence the ethnicity of the Czechs living in Romania?
What do the figures reflect? What kind of migration patterns are at work here, and what is the fate of the source communities? How do the meanings attached to the localities of origin change among Czech emigrants? How does the native land appear in the migration discourse? And how do the Czech tourists from the motherland, looking for traditional rurality, the experience of exoticism, and “time travel”, influence the ethnicity of the Czechs living in Romania?
Research Interests:
(The Changing Image of Rurality in Transylvania)
Research Interests:
(Ethnicity and Tourism among the Czech Minority in Banat (Romania)) In the first half of the 19th century, Czech colonists have established several colonies, especially in the wood-covered mountains found along the lower reaches of the... more
(Ethnicity and Tourism among the Czech Minority in Banat (Romania))
In the first half of the 19th century, Czech colonists have established several colonies, especially in the wood-covered mountains found along the lower reaches of the Danube, in the south-western region of Romania. Before the regime change, Romania had a Czech population of 5500. After 1989, the Czech-speaking, Roman Catholic population has become involved in an increased outward migration to Czech Republic. According to the 1992 census, their population numbered 5797 persons. The 2011 census put their numbers at 2477, which means a 57% decrease in less than a decade.
What do the figures reflect? What kind of migration patterns are at work here, and what is the fate of the source communities? How do the meanings attached to the localities of origin change among Czech emigrants? How does the native land appear in the migration discourse? And how do the Czech tourists from the motherland, looking for traditional rurality, the experience of exoticism, and “time travel”, influence the ethnicity of the Czechs living in Romania?
In the first half of the 19th century, Czech colonists have established several colonies, especially in the wood-covered mountains found along the lower reaches of the Danube, in the south-western region of Romania. Before the regime change, Romania had a Czech population of 5500. After 1989, the Czech-speaking, Roman Catholic population has become involved in an increased outward migration to Czech Republic. According to the 1992 census, their population numbered 5797 persons. The 2011 census put their numbers at 2477, which means a 57% decrease in less than a decade.
What do the figures reflect? What kind of migration patterns are at work here, and what is the fate of the source communities? How do the meanings attached to the localities of origin change among Czech emigrants? How does the native land appear in the migration discourse? And how do the Czech tourists from the motherland, looking for traditional rurality, the experience of exoticism, and “time travel”, influence the ethnicity of the Czechs living in Romania?
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
(The Kriza János Ethnographic Society) The Kriza János Ethnographic Society was founded in March 1990, with the desire to become a representative institution for the interests of Hungarian ethnographers from Romania, thus to assure the... more
(The Kriza János Ethnographic Society)
The Kriza János Ethnographic Society was founded in March 1990, with the desire to become a representative institution for the interests of Hungarian ethnographers from Romania, thus to assure the necessary institutional framework for the efficiency of professional activities. It has been active from the beginning and with the development of ethnographic research and education its activity has become more and more extended and diversified. In 1994 it managed to purchase its own building, and the current location includes an ethnographic library, documentation centre, exhibition hall, lecture hall, research centre and publishing house. Further step was taken in 2004, when rooms were built in the loft, thus we can find a new exhibition and lecture hall, a guest room and an archive room. Researchers and all who are interested can consult the library, the documentation centre, the data bases (bibliographies, photo archive, archive of folk ballads, archive of ethnographic museums and collections, archive of Transylvanian Hungarian ethnographic values). The society functions also as a research centre and a background institute for Hungarian ethnographic education: it coordinates scientific researches, organizes conferences and exhibitions, and publishes books and periodicals.: szakkutatásokat végez, konferenciákat és kiállításokat szervez, könyvkiadót működtet.
The Kriza János Ethnographic Society was founded in March 1990, with the desire to become a representative institution for the interests of Hungarian ethnographers from Romania, thus to assure the necessary institutional framework for the efficiency of professional activities. It has been active from the beginning and with the development of ethnographic research and education its activity has become more and more extended and diversified. In 1994 it managed to purchase its own building, and the current location includes an ethnographic library, documentation centre, exhibition hall, lecture hall, research centre and publishing house. Further step was taken in 2004, when rooms were built in the loft, thus we can find a new exhibition and lecture hall, a guest room and an archive room. Researchers and all who are interested can consult the library, the documentation centre, the data bases (bibliographies, photo archive, archive of folk ballads, archive of ethnographic museums and collections, archive of Transylvanian Hungarian ethnographic values). The society functions also as a research centre and a background institute for Hungarian ethnographic education: it coordinates scientific researches, organizes conferences and exhibitions, and publishes books and periodicals.: szakkutatásokat végez, konferenciákat és kiállításokat szervez, könyvkiadót működtet.
Research Interests:
(Patrimony: Ethnicity, Regional Identity and Territoriality) Since its discovery folk culture has been in use according to several approaches. Starting with the 19th century and up to the middle of the 20th century folk culture had been... more
(Patrimony: Ethnicity, Regional Identity and Territoriality)
Since its discovery folk culture has been in use according to several approaches. Starting with the 19th century and up to the middle of the 20th century folk culture had been regarded as tradition, a tradition rooted in the past, but alimented by the present, and also manifesting itself in the present. When this tradition lost its relation with the organization of everyday life, only then it was regarded as a tradition that has to be protected and preserved. However, the (institutional) preservation of tradition tore it out from its original environment. The new environment of tradition has become the school or the stage, thus the preservation of tradition was strictly tied to the phenomenon of folklorism. In Europe in the 1970s, in the Hungarian language area only in the 2000s started a process according to which (folk) culture was regarded as patrimony. It seems that this paradigm is still reigning. In the Hungarian language area with the discovery of ethnographic values started also the wide social utilization of these, manifested along two contrary tendencies: (1) on the one hand local tradition was identified as national one, and as a result the revealed ethnographic values and traditions were moved away from the communities who had created and had used them, (2) on the other hand the localization of tradition was made with its assigning to a certain region, area, ethnic group, community, but also with the identification of regional differences.
Since its discovery folk culture has been in use according to several approaches. Starting with the 19th century and up to the middle of the 20th century folk culture had been regarded as tradition, a tradition rooted in the past, but alimented by the present, and also manifesting itself in the present. When this tradition lost its relation with the organization of everyday life, only then it was regarded as a tradition that has to be protected and preserved. However, the (institutional) preservation of tradition tore it out from its original environment. The new environment of tradition has become the school or the stage, thus the preservation of tradition was strictly tied to the phenomenon of folklorism. In Europe in the 1970s, in the Hungarian language area only in the 2000s started a process according to which (folk) culture was regarded as patrimony. It seems that this paradigm is still reigning. In the Hungarian language area with the discovery of ethnographic values started also the wide social utilization of these, manifested along two contrary tendencies: (1) on the one hand local tradition was identified as national one, and as a result the revealed ethnographic values and traditions were moved away from the communities who had created and had used them, (2) on the other hand the localization of tradition was made with its assigning to a certain region, area, ethnic group, community, but also with the identification of regional differences.
Research Interests:
(The Memory of the Great War in Cluj) In my study I am interested in observing the appearance of the memory of WWI in the public sphere of Cluj during and after the war, the methods, tools, festive occasions and forms that were used to... more
(The Memory of the Great War in Cluj)
In my study I am interested in observing the appearance of the memory of WWI in the public sphere of Cluj during and after the war, the methods, tools, festive occasions and forms that were used to keep the interest alert, respectively to sustain the feeling of involvement of the civilian population. The world war that was started with the Austrian–Hungarian declaration (28 July 1914) constructed a new type of hero in publicity: the heroic dead. I consider that it is important to present the major functions of memorial actions and commemorations: the assigning of events outside/beyond locality to a certain space, the presentation of the (victorious) war, the editing of the biography of the hero sacrificing himself for his country, the stimulation of civilian will for sacrifice.
In my study I am interested in observing the appearance of the memory of WWI in the public sphere of Cluj during and after the war, the methods, tools, festive occasions and forms that were used to keep the interest alert, respectively to sustain the feeling of involvement of the civilian population. The world war that was started with the Austrian–Hungarian declaration (28 July 1914) constructed a new type of hero in publicity: the heroic dead. I consider that it is important to present the major functions of memorial actions and commemorations: the assigning of events outside/beyond locality to a certain space, the presentation of the (victorious) war, the editing of the biography of the hero sacrificing himself for his country, the stimulation of civilian will for sacrifice.
Research Interests:
(The Social Functions of Memory in Cluj between 1440 and 2012) The aim of this paper is to present, briefly describe and interpret all figures of memory, as well as representations and processes linked to the issue of local, cultural... more
(The Social Functions of Memory in Cluj between 1440 and 2012)
The aim of this paper is to present, briefly describe and interpret all figures of memory, as well as representations and processes linked to the issue of local, cultural and/or collective memorial forms and social problems in the city of Cluj-Napoca. Subsequently, I have analyzed the process of cultural memoryperformance, the strategies of memoryformation and the social use and functions of memory, as they occur in one urban context. By sorting out Cluj-Napoca as my fieldwork, I intended to offer a more or less complete image on the use of time, techniques of dealing with the past and the relation between memory and locality. The analysis of memoryconstruction, its “spatialization” and use were grounded on a review and research of commemorative actions (memorial plaques and statues) as well as commemorative rituals and festivities.
The aim of this paper is to present, briefly describe and interpret all figures of memory, as well as representations and processes linked to the issue of local, cultural and/or collective memorial forms and social problems in the city of Cluj-Napoca. Subsequently, I have analyzed the process of cultural memoryperformance, the strategies of memoryformation and the social use and functions of memory, as they occur in one urban context. By sorting out Cluj-Napoca as my fieldwork, I intended to offer a more or less complete image on the use of time, techniques of dealing with the past and the relation between memory and locality. The analysis of memoryconstruction, its “spatialization” and use were grounded on a review and research of commemorative actions (memorial plaques and statues) as well as commemorative rituals and festivities.
Research Interests:
The aim of the research on 19th–20th century memorial culture of Cluj was to systematize the dispersed local memorial heritage referring to the given period of time. The analysis lines up the occasions, spaces and event types of memorial... more
The aim of the research on 19th–20th century memorial culture of Cluj was to systematize the dispersed local memorial heritage referring to the given period of time. The analysis lines up the occasions, spaces and event types of memorial culture, the motifs, elements of content determining the commemorative festivities, the physical spaces taken and expropriated by communitarian experience, the rhetorical and narrative strategies of memorial actions and commemorative festivities. Besides institutions, it is quite important to present also persons, who had a key role in the formation of local memorial culture, as they used to organize and supervise the commemorative festivities as specialists (Keszeg) or guardians (Giddens).
Research Interests:
(Homo Memor. The Structure of 19-20th Century (Local) Memorial Culture
) The aim of the research on 19th-20th century memorial culture of Cluj was to systematize the dispersed local memorial heritage referring to the given period of... more
(Homo Memor. The Structure of 19-20th Century (Local) Memorial Culture
)
The aim of the research on 19th-20th century memorial culture of Cluj was to systematize the dispersed local memorial heritage referring to the given period of time. The analysis lines up the occasions, spaces and event types of memorial culture, the motifs, elements of content determining the commemorative festivities, the physical spaces taken and expropriated by communitarian experience, the rhetorical and narrative strategies of memorial actions and commemorative festivities. Besides institutions, it is quite important to present also persons, who had a key role in the formation of local memorial culture, as they used to organize and supervise the commemorative festivities as specialists (Keszeg) or guardians (Giddens).
The aim of the research on 19th-20th century memorial culture of Cluj was to systematize the dispersed local memorial heritage referring to the given period of time. The analysis lines up the occasions, spaces and event types of memorial culture, the motifs, elements of content determining the commemorative festivities, the physical spaces taken and expropriated by communitarian experience, the rhetorical and narrative strategies of memorial actions and commemorative festivities. Besides institutions, it is quite important to present also persons, who had a key role in the formation of local memorial culture, as they used to organize and supervise the commemorative festivities as specialists (Keszeg) or guardians (Giddens).
Research Interests:
(Ethnographic Archives in Newest Contexts. Challenges of the Research and Archiving of Transylvanian and Moldavian Hungarian Culture) In the last few decades archives and digital databases have become more and more important in social... more
(Ethnographic Archives in Newest Contexts. Challenges of the Research and Archiving of Transylvanian and Moldavian Hungarian Culture)
In the last few decades archives and digital databases have become more and more important in social sciences. Due to the spread of informational tools and technologies, of social networks, we have to deal with a changing media context. Therefore the digitization of ethnographic archives means another change of paradigm. This procedure cannot be restricted to the simple digital transmutation of (traditional) material collections. The online appearance of archives means interpretation, it makes possible to extract interpreted data. This presentation includes the description of the traditional archives of Kriza János Ethnographic Society, but also of the online databases, a result of the digitization projects.
In the last few decades archives and digital databases have become more and more important in social sciences. Due to the spread of informational tools and technologies, of social networks, we have to deal with a changing media context. Therefore the digitization of ethnographic archives means another change of paradigm. This procedure cannot be restricted to the simple digital transmutation of (traditional) material collections. The online appearance of archives means interpretation, it makes possible to extract interpreted data. This presentation includes the description of the traditional archives of Kriza János Ethnographic Society, but also of the online databases, a result of the digitization projects.
Research Interests:
(The Thousandth Year: The Celebration and the Representations of the Millennium in Cluj) The present paper analyzes the memorial strategies and formations which succeeded within the festivities from Cluj related to the memorial year of... more
(The Thousandth Year: The Celebration and the Representations of the Millennium in Cluj)
The present paper analyzes the memorial strategies and formations which succeeded within the festivities from Cluj related to the memorial year of 1896. The sources of the research were represented by the press of the time (daily, weekly, monthly), the records, and the commemorative volumes. The millennial festivities raised the necessity of the national interpretation of the past centuries and of the accumulated historical past. The author offers a presentation of the commemorative events, the memorial actions of that year organized by different institutions, denominations, social groups, while his analysis deals with the manifestations, representations of national commitment and dynastic devotion.
The present paper analyzes the memorial strategies and formations which succeeded within the festivities from Cluj related to the memorial year of 1896. The sources of the research were represented by the press of the time (daily, weekly, monthly), the records, and the commemorative volumes. The millennial festivities raised the necessity of the national interpretation of the past centuries and of the accumulated historical past. The author offers a presentation of the commemorative events, the memorial actions of that year organized by different institutions, denominations, social groups, while his analysis deals with the manifestations, representations of national commitment and dynastic devotion.
Research Interests:
(The Social Functions of Memory in Cluj between 1440 and 2012) The aim of this paper is to present, briefly describe and interpretall figures of memory, as well as representations and processes linked to the issue of local, cultural... more
(The Social Functions of Memory in Cluj between 1440 and 2012)
The aim of this paper is to present, briefly describe and interpretall figures of memory, as well as representations and processes linked to the issue of local, cultural and/or collective memorial forms and social problems in the city of Cluj-Napoca. Subsequently, I have analyzed the process of cultural memory performance, the strategies of memory formation and the social use and functions of memory, as they occur in one urban context. By sorting out Cluj-Napoca as my fieldwork, I intended to offer a more or less complete image on the use of time, techniques of dealing with the past and the relation between memory and locality. The analysis of memory construction, its “spatialization” and use were grounded on a review and research of commemorative actions (memorial plaques and statues) as well as commemorative rituals and festivities.
The aim of this paper is to present, briefly describe and interpretall figures of memory, as well as representations and processes linked to the issue of local, cultural and/or collective memorial forms and social problems in the city of Cluj-Napoca. Subsequently, I have analyzed the process of cultural memory performance, the strategies of memory formation and the social use and functions of memory, as they occur in one urban context. By sorting out Cluj-Napoca as my fieldwork, I intended to offer a more or less complete image on the use of time, techniques of dealing with the past and the relation between memory and locality. The analysis of memory construction, its “spatialization” and use were grounded on a review and research of commemorative actions (memorial plaques and statues) as well as commemorative rituals and festivities.
Research Interests:
The aim of this paper is to present, briefly describe and interpret all figures of memory, as well as representations and processes linked to the issue of local, cultural and/or collective memorial forms and social problems in the city of... more
The aim of this paper is to present, briefly describe and interpret all figures of memory, as well as representations and processes linked to the issue of local, cultural and/or collective memorial forms and social problems in the city of Cluj-Napoca. Subsequently, I have analyzed the process of cultural memoryperformance, the strategies of memoryformation and the social use and functions of memory, as they occur in one urban context. By sorting out Cluj-Napoca as my fieldwork, I intended to offer a more or less complete image on the use of time, techniques of dealing with the past and the relation between memory and locality. The analysis of memoryconstruction, its “spatialization” and use were grounded on a review and research of commemorative actions (memorial plaques and statues) as well as commemorative rituals and festivities.
Research Interests:
(Commemorative Festivities in Cluj during the Dualist Monarchy) The present study offers an overview of the memorial actions and commemorative festivities from the city of Cluj. The sources of the analysis were the press of those times... more
(Commemorative Festivities in Cluj during the Dualist Monarchy)
The present study offers an overview of the memorial actions and commemorative festivities from the city of Cluj. The sources of the analysis were the press of those times (daily, weekly, monthly papers), different records and memorial volumes. Starting with the second part of the 19th century the memorial actions were characterized by the exposure of the national contents, in fact what was going on at that time was the public exposure of the past of the Hungarian nation on different levels and locations. This intensive production of the memory of the place coincided with the appearance of local history literature, respectively with its emancipation against the history of the state.
The present study offers an overview of the memorial actions and commemorative festivities from the city of Cluj. The sources of the analysis were the press of those times (daily, weekly, monthly papers), different records and memorial volumes. Starting with the second part of the 19th century the memorial actions were characterized by the exposure of the national contents, in fact what was going on at that time was the public exposure of the past of the Hungarian nation on different levels and locations. This intensive production of the memory of the place coincided with the appearance of local history literature, respectively with its emancipation against the history of the state.
Research Interests:
(Etnocultural Processes and Integrations – the Research of Minorities from Romania)
Research Interests:
(Etnocultural Processes and Integrations – the Research of Minorities from Romania)
Research Interests:
(The industry of collective memory after 1989 in Cluj-Napoca) The author tries to show how, using history to their ethnic interest, Romanians and Hungarians in Cluj-Napoca construct after 1989 a diifferent and parallel collective memory.... more
(The industry of collective memory after 1989 in Cluj-Napoca)
The author tries to show how, using history to their ethnic interest, Romanians and Hungarians in Cluj-Napoca construct after 1989 a diifferent and parallel collective memory. While Hungarians call the earliest certifications and the Hungarian past of the city, the Romanians place in history a majority view, which builds and memory requires a Romanian past. But both of them discard the communist past and its heritage (plaque, statues, etc.).
The author tries to show how, using history to their ethnic interest, Romanians and Hungarians in Cluj-Napoca construct after 1989 a diifferent and parallel collective memory. While Hungarians call the earliest certifications and the Hungarian past of the city, the Romanians place in history a majority view, which builds and memory requires a Romanian past. But both of them discard the communist past and its heritage (plaque, statues, etc.).
Research Interests:
(Constructing and Organizing of the Memory of the 1848–49 Revolution in Cluj) Starting with the Hungarian and Romanian anniversary of 1848-89 Revolution kept every year on l5 March at Cluj, the author wants to point the fact that the... more
(Constructing and Organizing of the Memory of the 1848–49 Revolution in Cluj)
Starting with the Hungarian and Romanian anniversary of 1848-89 Revolution kept every year on l5 March at Cluj, the author wants to point the fact that the same event is able to be analyzed in different ways and from different reasons. At this revolution the Romanians fought against Hungarians and Romanians still cry for their deaths while the Hungarians prize their heroes.
Over the years those two anniversaries were kept concomitantly, but in 1996 a nationalist mayor tried to transform a Hungarian anniversary into a Romanian anniversary by switching the anniversary place and the heroes. At the same time this article presents the Romanian and Hungarian attitude about this problem. All the speeches seem to transform an anniversary event into politic.
Starting with the Hungarian and Romanian anniversary of 1848-89 Revolution kept every year on l5 March at Cluj, the author wants to point the fact that the same event is able to be analyzed in different ways and from different reasons. At this revolution the Romanians fought against Hungarians and Romanians still cry for their deaths while the Hungarians prize their heroes.
Over the years those two anniversaries were kept concomitantly, but in 1996 a nationalist mayor tried to transform a Hungarian anniversary into a Romanian anniversary by switching the anniversary place and the heroes. At the same time this article presents the Romanian and Hungarian attitude about this problem. All the speeches seem to transform an anniversary event into politic.
Research Interests:
(Objects of collective memory and their social application at Cluj-Napoca) Dividing past from present has always been a problem for the society of all times. Past can be defined as a continuance of time, endangered by the specific nature... more
(Objects of collective memory and their social application at Cluj-Napoca)
Dividing past from present has always been a problem for the society of all times. Past can be defined as a continuance of time, endangered by the specific nature of time itself. Its maintenance, its fastening is served by the transference of time on a spatial dimension. The current paper tries to analyze this question on the example of placing memorial tablets in Cluj-Napoca. The collective constructions of memory are accompanied by space-mobility: it can build up, structure or even demolate spatial dimensions. In a multiethnic environment, such as the city of Cluj-Napoca, reflection or liquidation of the past in the social space can be the concrete source of conflicts or symbolic confrontations.
Dividing past from present has always been a problem for the society of all times. Past can be defined as a continuance of time, endangered by the specific nature of time itself. Its maintenance, its fastening is served by the transference of time on a spatial dimension. The current paper tries to analyze this question on the example of placing memorial tablets in Cluj-Napoca. The collective constructions of memory are accompanied by space-mobility: it can build up, structure or even demolate spatial dimensions. In a multiethnic environment, such as the city of Cluj-Napoca, reflection or liquidation of the past in the social space can be the concrete source of conflicts or symbolic confrontations.
Research Interests:
(Representation of the collective memory in Cluj-Napoca local studies) This study is showing the representation of the collective memory in the local historic literature written in Cluj-Napoca. The local specialists and historians have... more
(Representation of the collective memory in Cluj-Napoca local studies)
This study is showing the representation of the collective memory in the local historic literature written in Cluj-Napoca. The local specialists and historians have the right to write about their local communities. They communicate and replicate facts from the past, supporting and correcting the collective memory. And the historical events which cannot be connected with the national history are included in the local history by these authors. Thus the local studies are somehow independent of the official history. These studies are focused on local communities and they use history as a reference point. The presence of these studies is often seen in mass-media as well as in the public life (conferences, memorial events, and other kind of community activities). On the other hand the historians
This study is showing the representation of the collective memory in the local historic literature written in Cluj-Napoca. The local specialists and historians have the right to write about their local communities. They communicate and replicate facts from the past, supporting and correcting the collective memory. And the historical events which cannot be connected with the national history are included in the local history by these authors. Thus the local studies are somehow independent of the official history. These studies are focused on local communities and they use history as a reference point. The presence of these studies is often seen in mass-media as well as in the public life (conferences, memorial events, and other kind of community activities). On the other hand the historians
Research Interests:
(Scribbling City. The Gesture and Space of Scribbling in Cluj-Napoca) Analyzing the public spaces of scribbling from an inner perspective, this study follows to present and debate the culture of a certain group. The students’ bench... more
(Scribbling City. The Gesture and Space of Scribbling in Cluj-Napoca)
Analyzing the public spaces of scribbling from an inner perspective, this study follows to present and debate the culture of a certain group. The students’ bench graffities with their diversified content represent the subjective gesture of rebellion against the institution of the univeristy and against its agents. The graffities from the city’s public places on the other hand represent the informal opinions of persons from different social strata or groups. Based upon these, scribbling is a subcultural action constructed in relation with space and situations.
Analyzing the public spaces of scribbling from an inner perspective, this study follows to present and debate the culture of a certain group. The students’ bench graffities with their diversified content represent the subjective gesture of rebellion against the institution of the univeristy and against its agents. The graffities from the city’s public places on the other hand represent the informal opinions of persons from different social strata or groups. Based upon these, scribbling is a subcultural action constructed in relation with space and situations.
Research Interests:
(The ethnical interpretation of 1848–1849 events from Cluj) Starting with the Hungarian and Romanian anniversary of 1848-89 Revolution kept every year on l5 March at Cluj, the author wants to point the fact that the same event is able to... more
(The ethnical interpretation of 1848–1849 events from Cluj)
Starting with the Hungarian and Romanian anniversary of 1848-89 Revolution kept every year on l5 March at Cluj, the author wants to point the fact that the same event is able to be analyzed in different ways and from different reasons. At this revolution the Romanians fought against Hungarians and Romanians still cry for their deaths while the Hungarians prize their heroes.
Over the years those two anniversaries were kept concomitantly, but in 1996 a nationalist mayor tried to transform a Hungarian anniversary into a Romanian anniversary by switching the anniversary place and the heroes. At the same time this article presents the Romanian and Hungarian attitude about this problem. All the speeches seem to transform an anniversary event into politic.
Starting with the Hungarian and Romanian anniversary of 1848-89 Revolution kept every year on l5 March at Cluj, the author wants to point the fact that the same event is able to be analyzed in different ways and from different reasons. At this revolution the Romanians fought against Hungarians and Romanians still cry for their deaths while the Hungarians prize their heroes.
Over the years those two anniversaries were kept concomitantly, but in 1996 a nationalist mayor tried to transform a Hungarian anniversary into a Romanian anniversary by switching the anniversary place and the heroes. At the same time this article presents the Romanian and Hungarian attitude about this problem. All the speeches seem to transform an anniversary event into politic.
Research Interests:
(The Place, Motivations and Role of Grafitti in the Student Culture)
Research Interests:
(The Formation of the Memory of the 1848–49 Revolution in Cluj) Starting with the Hungarian and Romanian anniversary of 1848-89 Revolution kept every year on l5 March at Cluj, the author wants to point the fact that the same event is... more
(The Formation of the Memory of the 1848–49 Revolution in Cluj)
Starting with the Hungarian and Romanian anniversary of 1848-89 Revolution kept every year on l5 March at Cluj, the author wants to point the fact that the same event is able to be analyzed in different ways and from different reasons. At this revolution the Romanians fought against Hungarians and Romanians still cry for their deaths while the Hungarians prize their heroes.
Over the years those two anniversaries were kept concomitantly, but in 1996 a nationalist mayor tried to transform a Hungarian anniversary into a Romanian anniversary by switching the anniversary place and the heroes. At the same time this article presents the Romanian and Hungarian attitude about this problem. All the speeches seem to transform an anniversary event into politic.
Starting with the Hungarian and Romanian anniversary of 1848-89 Revolution kept every year on l5 March at Cluj, the author wants to point the fact that the same event is able to be analyzed in different ways and from different reasons. At this revolution the Romanians fought against Hungarians and Romanians still cry for their deaths while the Hungarians prize their heroes.
Over the years those two anniversaries were kept concomitantly, but in 1996 a nationalist mayor tried to transform a Hungarian anniversary into a Romanian anniversary by switching the anniversary place and the heroes. At the same time this article presents the Romanian and Hungarian attitude about this problem. All the speeches seem to transform an anniversary event into politic.
Research Interests:
("Memorial Stones.” The Spacial Dimension of Memory in Cluj) The past should be kept and handed down to the future. Thus memorial houses, the museums, the memorial plaques, they come to consolidate the presentation of the past. From... more
("Memorial Stones.” The Spacial Dimension of Memory in Cluj)
The past should be kept and handed down to the future. Thus memorial houses, the museums, the memorial plaques, they come to consolidate the presentation of the past. From those many ways in which the past could be persevered, the author chooses the one about memorial plaques. It's about memorial plaques from Cluj. In fact memorial plaques are the ones that recreate the memory of the community. For this reason in Cluj, by taking and rearranging some of the old memorial plaques, started a kind of conflict sifu- ation between Romanian community and Hungarian community who are two very strong communities in Cluj, In fact this conflict situation is a very old one but it lasts until nowadays when one can feel it, of course only symbolically, both in Romanian's and Hungarian's speech about their past. Both communities think that the memorial plaques of one community harm the memory of the other community. In this fight the Hungarian community has a great disadvantage because üe Romanian community is bigger and stronger. The Romanians from Cluj not only do not allow the Hungarian community to put their old memorial plaques but they also continue to mark the buildings and monuments with Romanian memorial plaques.
The past should be kept and handed down to the future. Thus memorial houses, the museums, the memorial plaques, they come to consolidate the presentation of the past. From those many ways in which the past could be persevered, the author chooses the one about memorial plaques. It's about memorial plaques from Cluj. In fact memorial plaques are the ones that recreate the memory of the community. For this reason in Cluj, by taking and rearranging some of the old memorial plaques, started a kind of conflict sifu- ation between Romanian community and Hungarian community who are two very strong communities in Cluj, In fact this conflict situation is a very old one but it lasts until nowadays when one can feel it, of course only symbolically, both in Romanian's and Hungarian's speech about their past. Both communities think that the memorial plaques of one community harm the memory of the other community. In this fight the Hungarian community has a great disadvantage because üe Romanian community is bigger and stronger. The Romanians from Cluj not only do not allow the Hungarian community to put their old memorial plaques but they also continue to mark the buildings and monuments with Romanian memorial plaques.
Research Interests:
(Youth, Graffiti, Politics)
Research Interests:
(Transformations of the Identity after the Abortive of Double Citizenship)
Research Interests:
(The Ritual Reactions in Public after the Abort of Double Citizenship)
Research Interests:
(The Graffiti-culture in Cluj)
Research Interests:
(Graffiti-culture in Interethnical Medium)
Research Interests:
(The Existence of Graffities in Cluj)
Research Interests:
(The Interethnical Aspects of Graffities from Cluj)
Research Interests:
(The Placing of Memorial Tablets in Cluj)
Research Interests:
(The desk-scribbling culture)
Research Interests:
(Museum – Heritage – Communication)
Research Interests:
(Existential Situations during the Pandemic. The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Everyday Life and Social Sciences’ Research) The Covid-19 pandemic is a social phenomenon, its existence depends on those individuals, communities and... more
(Existential Situations during the Pandemic. The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Everyday Life and Social Sciences’ Research)
The Covid-19 pandemic is a social phenomenon, its existence depends on those individuals, communities and groups, which imagine it, describe it and create its rules. Social objects do not exist without the social acts creating them, fixing them in forms of inscriptions, neither without the mythology based on them, or the everyday practices related to them. In this context the pandemic is the result of social practice, a cultural formation. A specific situation of existence, which has a specific physiology and dynamic, which produces an experience, a sense of time different from the usual everyday life, respectively it is characterized by thematic, ideological, rhetorical, and communicational specificities. In one word: it produces a specific culture. The pandemic, as a phenomenon organizing life and producing its meanings, it infiltrates into individual and collective universes, becoming a part of local everyday routine, however it also starts the decomposing of the symbols and world concept of local communities. It revitalizes or on the contrary, changes the previous existential routines, generating specific conflicts (just think about mask wear or social distancing), resulting insecurity and the necessity of new interpretations.
The Covid-19 pandemic is a social phenomenon, its existence depends on those individuals, communities and groups, which imagine it, describe it and create its rules. Social objects do not exist without the social acts creating them, fixing them in forms of inscriptions, neither without the mythology based on them, or the everyday practices related to them. In this context the pandemic is the result of social practice, a cultural formation. A specific situation of existence, which has a specific physiology and dynamic, which produces an experience, a sense of time different from the usual everyday life, respectively it is characterized by thematic, ideological, rhetorical, and communicational specificities. In one word: it produces a specific culture. The pandemic, as a phenomenon organizing life and producing its meanings, it infiltrates into individual and collective universes, becoming a part of local everyday routine, however it also starts the decomposing of the symbols and world concept of local communities. It revitalizes or on the contrary, changes the previous existential routines, generating specific conflicts (just think about mask wear or social distancing), resulting insecurity and the necessity of new interpretations.
Research Interests:
(Rurality and the Research of the Rural in the Carpathian Basin) While in the traditional rural society the life of the individual was lived under the supervision of the community, with its approval, today we cannot really speak about a... more
(Rurality and the Research of the Rural in the Carpathian Basin)
While in the traditional rural society the life of the individual was lived under the supervision of the community, with its approval, today we cannot really speak about a real force of the tradition concerning the organization of personal life or the modelling of life course. In the 21st century even in the case of rural societies the routines of everyday life, the practices and strategies of (economic) life are determined by the processes of globalization and modernization, by informational and communication technologies, respectively the wide spreading of digital devices. What we consider the rural today is in fact a territorial unit with specific natural, landscape, economic and social conditions, with specific cultural characteristics, which have been formed during the centuries, but without any peasants any more, as there is only the memory of peasantry preserved within different shapes and institutions. The volume offers a selection of studies on this wide interpretation of rurality.
While in the traditional rural society the life of the individual was lived under the supervision of the community, with its approval, today we cannot really speak about a real force of the tradition concerning the organization of personal life or the modelling of life course. In the 21st century even in the case of rural societies the routines of everyday life, the practices and strategies of (economic) life are determined by the processes of globalization and modernization, by informational and communication technologies, respectively the wide spreading of digital devices. What we consider the rural today is in fact a territorial unit with specific natural, landscape, economic and social conditions, with specific cultural characteristics, which have been formed during the centuries, but without any peasants any more, as there is only the memory of peasantry preserved within different shapes and institutions. The volume offers a selection of studies on this wide interpretation of rurality.
Research Interests:
(Rurality and Economic Strategies in the 21st Century) The major social and political changes resulted in the falter of the position of tradition and its drastic change in the 21st century. All these have started the degradation of the... more
(Rurality and Economic Strategies in the 21st Century)
The major social and political changes resulted in the falter of the position of tradition and its drastic change in the 21st century. All these have started the degradation of the previous patterns of communities. Tradition and its sustaining social frame is in a constant change: in the 21st century even in rural communities everyday life is determined by the processes of modernization and globalization, respectively the wide spreading of the informational and communicational devices.
What happens to tradition in the classic meaning of the word, respectively what can be considered tradition in the era of existence built on translocal and transnational networks? What does tradition and everyday life mean in the times of accentuated trans-border migration and changing medial environment? Which are the social and economic consequences of the change of tradition on the level of local communities? How does it influence the conditions of ethnic cooperation?
The major social and political changes resulted in the falter of the position of tradition and its drastic change in the 21st century. All these have started the degradation of the previous patterns of communities. Tradition and its sustaining social frame is in a constant change: in the 21st century even in rural communities everyday life is determined by the processes of modernization and globalization, respectively the wide spreading of the informational and communicational devices.
What happens to tradition in the classic meaning of the word, respectively what can be considered tradition in the era of existence built on translocal and transnational networks? What does tradition and everyday life mean in the times of accentuated trans-border migration and changing medial environment? Which are the social and economic consequences of the change of tradition on the level of local communities? How does it influence the conditions of ethnic cooperation?
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
(Rurality and Economic Strategies in the 21st Century) The present volume presents a selection of the material of a conference on rurality in Transylvania organized in 2018. The conference desired to synthesize the research results on... more
(Rurality and Economic Strategies in the 21st Century)
The present volume presents a selection of the material of a conference on rurality in Transylvania organized in 2018. The conference desired to synthesize the research results on the Transylvanian rural area and rurality. The presentations aimed to understand how the communities of certain areas being on different stages of development have lived and interpreted the changes of the near past, what situations – similarities and divergences – were resulted by these changes on the level of everyday life, social relations and economic strategies.
Therefore the presentations of the conference desired to focus on three dimensions of changing ruralities: 1. the cultural dimension: identity, keeping tradition, loosing tradition, patrimonization, globalization; 2. the social dimension: modified systems of relations, mobility of the population, new relation strategies, respectively new – casually virtual – forms of community; 3. the economic dimension: transformation of rural agriculture, project-based developments, economical migration, other individual and communal strategies.
The present volume presents a selection of the material of a conference on rurality in Transylvania organized in 2018. The conference desired to synthesize the research results on the Transylvanian rural area and rurality. The presentations aimed to understand how the communities of certain areas being on different stages of development have lived and interpreted the changes of the near past, what situations – similarities and divergences – were resulted by these changes on the level of everyday life, social relations and economic strategies.
Therefore the presentations of the conference desired to focus on three dimensions of changing ruralities: 1. the cultural dimension: identity, keeping tradition, loosing tradition, patrimonization, globalization; 2. the social dimension: modified systems of relations, mobility of the population, new relation strategies, respectively new – casually virtual – forms of community; 3. the economic dimension: transformation of rural agriculture, project-based developments, economical migration, other individual and communal strategies.
Research Interests:
(The Czechs from Banat (Romania)) This volume is part of the monograph series on national minorities, published by the Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities, titled the “Minorities Series” (Colecția Minorități). Most... more
(The Czechs from Banat (Romania))
This volume is part of the monograph series on national minorities, published by the Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities, titled the “Minorities Series” (Colecția Minorități). Most authors of this monograph are local intellectuals. Due to their knowledge of place and culture, as well as, in some cases, on the basis of their engagement, they are also actors involved in the public construction of the Czech minority. The intellectual elite and the researchers of the Czech ethnic group have been continuously observing the minority situation they have experienced and in whose development they have been actively involved. The minority institutional systems could not, with few exceptions, provide a basis and support for scientific researches. Thus, there were few possibilities for more encompassing syntheses, objective and methodical analyses to be worked out, and the mostly local historical studies that got published have hardly made it to the scientific and public sphere, as they would have deserved. I compiling this monograph we sought to remedy this lack as well.
This volume is aimed at a monographic description of the Czech minority’s situation in Romania’s Banat region. It contains the following thematic chapters: the historical context of colonization, demographic trends, the organization of political and economic life, the educational system, the organization of ecclesiastic and religious life, places and rituals of memory, elements of cultural heritage and forms of preservation of the Czech minority’s popular traditions, a study on the post-December period, with special emphasis on the institutional system and on the relations with the Czech state, as well as an ample chronology of the Czech minority.
This volume is part of the monograph series on national minorities, published by the Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities, titled the “Minorities Series” (Colecția Minorități). Most authors of this monograph are local intellectuals. Due to their knowledge of place and culture, as well as, in some cases, on the basis of their engagement, they are also actors involved in the public construction of the Czech minority. The intellectual elite and the researchers of the Czech ethnic group have been continuously observing the minority situation they have experienced and in whose development they have been actively involved. The minority institutional systems could not, with few exceptions, provide a basis and support for scientific researches. Thus, there were few possibilities for more encompassing syntheses, objective and methodical analyses to be worked out, and the mostly local historical studies that got published have hardly made it to the scientific and public sphere, as they would have deserved. I compiling this monograph we sought to remedy this lack as well.
This volume is aimed at a monographic description of the Czech minority’s situation in Romania’s Banat region. It contains the following thematic chapters: the historical context of colonization, demographic trends, the organization of political and economic life, the educational system, the organization of ecclesiastic and religious life, places and rituals of memory, elements of cultural heritage and forms of preservation of the Czech minority’s popular traditions, a study on the post-December period, with special emphasis on the institutional system and on the relations with the Czech state, as well as an ample chronology of the Czech minority.
Research Interests:
(The Slovaks from Romania) This volume is part of the monograph series on national minorities, published by the Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities, titled the “Minorities Series” (Colecția Minorități). Most authors of... more
(The Slovaks from Romania)
This volume is part of the monograph series on national minorities, published by the Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities, titled the “Minorities Series” (Colecția Minorități). Most authors of this monograph are local intellectuals. Due to their knowledge of place and culture, as well as, in some cases, on the basis of their engagement, they are also actors involved in the public construction of the Slovak minority. The intellectual elite and the researchers of the Slovak ethnic group have been continuously observing the minority situation they have experienced and in whose development they have been actively involved. The minority institutional systems could not, with few exceptions, provide a basis and support for scientific researches. Thus, there were few possibilities for more encompassing syntheses, objective and methodical analyses to be worked out, and the mostly local historical studies that got published have hardly made it to the scientific and public sphere, as they would have deserved. I compiling this monograph we sought to remedy this lack as well.
This volume is aimed at a monographic description of the Slovak minority’s situation in Romania. It contains the following thematic chapters: the historical context of colonization, demographic trends, elements of cultural heritage and forms of preservation of the Slovak minority’s popular traditions, their organizations and relations with the Slovak state, the use of their mother tongue, places and rituals of memory, the educational system, a case study on the various aspects of Slovakian community life in Arad County, with special emphasis on ethnicity, as well as the chronology of the Slovak minority.
This volume is part of the monograph series on national minorities, published by the Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities, titled the “Minorities Series” (Colecția Minorități). Most authors of this monograph are local intellectuals. Due to their knowledge of place and culture, as well as, in some cases, on the basis of their engagement, they are also actors involved in the public construction of the Slovak minority. The intellectual elite and the researchers of the Slovak ethnic group have been continuously observing the minority situation they have experienced and in whose development they have been actively involved. The minority institutional systems could not, with few exceptions, provide a basis and support for scientific researches. Thus, there were few possibilities for more encompassing syntheses, objective and methodical analyses to be worked out, and the mostly local historical studies that got published have hardly made it to the scientific and public sphere, as they would have deserved. I compiling this monograph we sought to remedy this lack as well.
This volume is aimed at a monographic description of the Slovak minority’s situation in Romania. It contains the following thematic chapters: the historical context of colonization, demographic trends, elements of cultural heritage and forms of preservation of the Slovak minority’s popular traditions, their organizations and relations with the Slovak state, the use of their mother tongue, places and rituals of memory, the educational system, a case study on the various aspects of Slovakian community life in Arad County, with special emphasis on ethnicity, as well as the chronology of the Slovak minority.
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(Memory Construction and Practice. Representations of Cultural Memory in Cluj)
Research Interests:
(This Stone was Bestowed... Spaces of Commemoration in Cluj (1440–2022))
Research Interests:
(This Stone was Bestowed... Spaces of Commemoration in Cluj (1440–2012)) This data archive collects inscriptions, plaques, statues, memorials raised and unveiled with intent of dating and commemorating in Cluj-Napoca between 1440 and... more
(This Stone was Bestowed... Spaces of Commemoration in Cluj (1440–2012))
This data archive collects inscriptions, plaques, statues, memorials raised and unveiled with intent of dating and commemorating in Cluj-Napoca between 1440 and 2012. Collected with a claim for completeness, the book encompasses one-time memories, recorded by now on publications on history, local history, art history and tourism about the city. Thus the 768 items collected in this archive, contains a series of materials unpublished by now. The analysis of the texts and the historical research of the memorial actions of Cluj are carried out and published in a separate volume.
Textual representations of object and the public and half-public places from Cluj were discerned by different angels; their proceeding into worksheet is based on rules of folklore and epigraphical studies.
I sorted the material by the time of the commemorations; such a method was helpful in building up a chronology, and a framework for reference. Sometimes organizing into the relevant order was a difficult task, needing a longer procession of documents, as years of erection were missing in many cases. I consulted different sources to find out the time of creation for the undated monuments, in lack of information I set the timeline with a rough guess.
Location of commemorations and objects for memory is identified for all items in the archive. In using street and square names, the Hungarian ones were put first, followed by the official, Romanian naming.
Displacing or re-erecting of a memory was mentioned in the Notes, in order to avoid repetitions of similar texts. Notes also contain ethnographical data and information necessary for text-interpretation and the analysis.
Texts are reproduced in their original form, preserving original spelling and punctuation. Actual reading and translation was attached when necessary; names of translators and, sometimes, references for the translations were also mentioned in the notes.
I found important to give references for the objects, naming the most important works on local history that contain historical, cultural historical data and further information about the object. Sources for one-time objects are also part of this corpus of references, explained in a separate chapter at the end. An appendix with persons connected to commemorations was attached to the end of this book.
Photographs were taken and are published about each commemoration, in case of non existing object archive picture are attached.
This data archive collects inscriptions, plaques, statues, memorials raised and unveiled with intent of dating and commemorating in Cluj-Napoca between 1440 and 2012. Collected with a claim for completeness, the book encompasses one-time memories, recorded by now on publications on history, local history, art history and tourism about the city. Thus the 768 items collected in this archive, contains a series of materials unpublished by now. The analysis of the texts and the historical research of the memorial actions of Cluj are carried out and published in a separate volume.
Textual representations of object and the public and half-public places from Cluj were discerned by different angels; their proceeding into worksheet is based on rules of folklore and epigraphical studies.
I sorted the material by the time of the commemorations; such a method was helpful in building up a chronology, and a framework for reference. Sometimes organizing into the relevant order was a difficult task, needing a longer procession of documents, as years of erection were missing in many cases. I consulted different sources to find out the time of creation for the undated monuments, in lack of information I set the timeline with a rough guess.
Location of commemorations and objects for memory is identified for all items in the archive. In using street and square names, the Hungarian ones were put first, followed by the official, Romanian naming.
Displacing or re-erecting of a memory was mentioned in the Notes, in order to avoid repetitions of similar texts. Notes also contain ethnographical data and information necessary for text-interpretation and the analysis.
Texts are reproduced in their original form, preserving original spelling and punctuation. Actual reading and translation was attached when necessary; names of translators and, sometimes, references for the translations were also mentioned in the notes.
I found important to give references for the objects, naming the most important works on local history that contain historical, cultural historical data and further information about the object. Sources for one-time objects are also part of this corpus of references, explained in a separate chapter at the end. An appendix with persons connected to commemorations was attached to the end of this book.
Photographs were taken and are published about each commemoration, in case of non existing object archive picture are attached.
Research Interests:
(Memory Construction and Practice. Representations of Cultural Memory in Cluj) Aim of this volume is to present, describe and interpret all figures of memory, as well as representations and processes comprehendible into the issue of... more
(Memory Construction and Practice. Representations of Cultural Memory in Cluj)
Aim of this volume is to present, describe and interpret all figures of memory, as well as representations and processes comprehendible into the issue of local, cultural and/or collective memorial forms and social problems in the city of Cluj-Napoca. Subsequently, I have analyzed the process of cultural memory-performance, the strategies of memory-formation and the social usage of memory, as they occur in one urban context. By sorting out Cluj-Napoca as my fieldwork, I intended to offer a more or less complete image on time-usage, techniques of dealing with the past and the relation between memory and locality. Analysis of memory-construction, “spatialization” and usage was grounded on a review and research of commemorative actions (memorial plaques and statues) as well as commemorative rituals and festivities.
Certainly, analysis of memorial performances and practices can be carried through many viewpoints, and discerned into various categories; I have chosen two major ones. My research focuses on memory construction as process, and analyses the practices of locating the (created) past in public spaces, together with the historical aspects of memorial performances. Aim of such particular approach was either a stock-taking of local forms in remembrance, or, supported by the former, to find out, how narrating the time and performing memory (through conservation and unveiling memorial plaques and statues) shapes and (re)constructs space? How does it convey visibility to the events and what events are given visibility through it?
A historical analysis of the memorial performances between 1440–2004 has raised several questions regarding the problem of accumulating time. How has been produced the idea of present as an entity with promises, and the idea of a linking societal past to present? Which social-political context draws ones’ attention to the past? What generates an increased attention to the past? How contributes society in organizing its own history? What are the processes of organizing memory? What sort of social representations are reflected by commemorations? What events actuate the performing of memory through plaques, statues, etc.? What events, ways of acting, narratives are revealed through commemoration?
Performing memory, regarded as ritual usage and symbolical seizing, opened another perspective for my research. By following how memory is preserved and performed (through commemorations and public celebrations), I intended to present actual cultural mechanisms, that are connected to the past. For Cluj-dwellers, regarded here as members of one community of memory, the past also shapes processes of identity as well as their local and regional social mentality. Thus, it was necessary to analyze discourses associated to commemorations and practices of memory, the cultural relations they shape, the patterns of identity they offer for society members.
Aim of this volume is to present, describe and interpret all figures of memory, as well as representations and processes comprehendible into the issue of local, cultural and/or collective memorial forms and social problems in the city of Cluj-Napoca. Subsequently, I have analyzed the process of cultural memory-performance, the strategies of memory-formation and the social usage of memory, as they occur in one urban context. By sorting out Cluj-Napoca as my fieldwork, I intended to offer a more or less complete image on time-usage, techniques of dealing with the past and the relation between memory and locality. Analysis of memory-construction, “spatialization” and usage was grounded on a review and research of commemorative actions (memorial plaques and statues) as well as commemorative rituals and festivities.
Certainly, analysis of memorial performances and practices can be carried through many viewpoints, and discerned into various categories; I have chosen two major ones. My research focuses on memory construction as process, and analyses the practices of locating the (created) past in public spaces, together with the historical aspects of memorial performances. Aim of such particular approach was either a stock-taking of local forms in remembrance, or, supported by the former, to find out, how narrating the time and performing memory (through conservation and unveiling memorial plaques and statues) shapes and (re)constructs space? How does it convey visibility to the events and what events are given visibility through it?
A historical analysis of the memorial performances between 1440–2004 has raised several questions regarding the problem of accumulating time. How has been produced the idea of present as an entity with promises, and the idea of a linking societal past to present? Which social-political context draws ones’ attention to the past? What generates an increased attention to the past? How contributes society in organizing its own history? What are the processes of organizing memory? What sort of social representations are reflected by commemorations? What events actuate the performing of memory through plaques, statues, etc.? What events, ways of acting, narratives are revealed through commemoration?
Performing memory, regarded as ritual usage and symbolical seizing, opened another perspective for my research. By following how memory is preserved and performed (through commemorations and public celebrations), I intended to present actual cultural mechanisms, that are connected to the past. For Cluj-dwellers, regarded here as members of one community of memory, the past also shapes processes of identity as well as their local and regional social mentality. Thus, it was necessary to analyze discourses associated to commemorations and practices of memory, the cultural relations they shape, the patterns of identity they offer for society members.
Research Interests:
(The Ethnographic and Historical Bibliography of Háromszék County (1844–2002))