Recovering Place Attachment After Deportation? The Romanian Experiences Reflected in Oral and Written Cultural Heritage
Recovering Place Attachment After Deportation? The Romanian Experiences Reflected in Oral and Written Cultural Heritage

Summary/Abstract: This study explores place attachment in traumatic contexts by examining individuals who experienced forced deportation, mandatory residence, and limited freedom, focusing on their decisions to return to their homeland or stay in the place of deportation. It investigates how deportation, as a dramatic historical event, shapes place attachment and influences such decisions. The research uses qualitative data, including written testimonies, interviews, and monographs from deportees and their families, particularly those deported in 1941 from Northern Bukovina to Siberia, Kazakhstan, and the Polar Circle (in the Soviet Union), and in 1951 from Banat and western Oltenia to Bãrãgan (in Romania). Employing thematic and discourse analysis, the study examines the relationships with the places of dislocation, deportation, and return. The findings reveal a complex interplay of emotions. While feelings toward homelands are often positive and nostalgia-driven, displacement memories are universally negative. Differences emerge in the perceptions of place attachment during the post-experience period: those returning to Northern Bukovina display nuanced views of their homeland, while those who stayed in Bãrãgan reflect on their attachment during storytelling. Ultimately, the study highlights the enduring cultural heritage of place attachment shaped by deportation, particularly in the small communities of Northern Bukovina and Bãrãgan.

• Details
• Contents