Social media and the Internet have experienced a rapid development to which the religious factor has not remained indifferent. Religion has found ways to adapt to the online environment. This new online context has been thoroughly analyzed in relation to Christian denominations such as Catholics, Protestants and Neo-Protestant groups, yet we do not know much about how Orthodoxy has adapted online. While a few studies emphasize the presence of Ortho-bloggers in the online environment, we know very little about how they organize their activity in terms of structure, content, and purpose. This study addresses this gap in the literature by proposing a new approach to Ortho-blogging research. It describes the types of Orthodox religious blogs found within the typology of noninstitutionalized Ortho-blogs in the context of the Orthodox sphere in Romania. Romania has a large Orthodox population, a very active church at societal and political level and a good Internet infrastructure. In the analysis, several types of the Ortho-blog are highlighted in relation to structure, content, and purpose. This study carries an empirical significance for the study of online religious actors in general and Orthodox Christian actors in particular.
By
Dragoș Șamșudean
December 9, 2022
In Romani Studies, the second half of the 19th century witnessed a great migration of the Roms from the two Rumanian provinces of Wallachia and Moldavia as a result of the abolition of slavery (also called “Emancipation”, which ushered in the massive liberation of the Romani slaves in 1856 at the initiative of the Prime Minister Mihail Kogălniceanu). However, this period is still poorly explored, particularly from a linguistic and ethnologic point of view.
By
Julieta Rotaru
September 6, 2018
This paper deals with the moment in 1948–1949, when the representative organization of the Romanian Roma unsuccessfully tried to obtain for them from the communist authorities the status of a national minority. For the Romanian Communist Party, the Roma represented a population that had to be brought into its sphere of influence. Discussions on the establishment of the People’s Union of the Roma lasted for several months but eventually led to the rejection of the request of the Roma leaders. The institutions involved in these discussions created documents, some of which are kept in the archives and allow us to study this moment in time.
By
Viorel Achim
September 6, 2018
The December 11th 2016 Romanian Parliamentary elections witnessed a dramatic redrawing of the Romanian political map, and confirmed the inability of the radical right populist parties to be serious contenders in parliamentary politics for the coming mandate. The elections also marked the return to a system of proportional electoral representation on party lists.
By
Cristian Norocel
January 3, 2017
Communism has failed, not only on political and economic, but especially on moral grounds, the author claims; "Every communist state was a far cry from the paradise the doctrine proposed.".
By
Edward Kanterian
January 21, 2015
The electoral campaign was marked by the emergence of several rather peculiar issues in a contemporary electoral context: appeals to religion and ethnic belonging, and to family status.
By
Cristian Norocel
November 21, 2014
Many postcommunist countries have large numbers of stray dogs. In several localitites in Russia poisoned meat has been put out to keep the number of strays down. Before major events, such as the Winter olympics in Sochi, mass culling has been announced. Dog rights activists rather suggest sterilization programs and animal shelters.
By
Ninna Mörner
April 30, 2014
ERANOS has taken place from 1933.The ERANOS Tagung (Conference) 2013 on "The Virtues of Tolerance" was held at Neamt Monastery in Romania on July 14-20, 2013. Here we publish a contribution from one of this years' speakers, Anders Björnsson.
By
Ninna Mörner
August 8, 2013
Perspectives on the past are charged, not least in Romania. Vladimir Tismaneanu, former chair for the Scientific Council of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER) is here interviewed about the links between history and politics in Romania.
By
Francesco Zavatti
May 13, 2013
Anna Kharkina visits an exhibition about childhood and sees artifacts from the Romanian countryside. The exhibition opens doors to an individual and a shared past for those with common memories of childhood in a country that no longer exists.
By
Anna Kharkina
May 13, 2013