Viitorul Evului Mediu
The Future of the Middle Ages

Summary/Abstract: The article reflects on the future directions of Romanian medieval studies. The author argues that Romanian historiography has long been shaped by a teleological and nationalist paradigm, interpreting the medieval past as a predetermined path toward the formation of the modern nation-state. He contends that this framework has become both intellectually limiting and socially outdated and calls for its abandonment in favour of more rigorous, epistemically autonomous scholarship. The article proposes two major reorientations. First, medieval studies should move beyond the national-identity axis, embracing regional and supra-regional frameworks to better understand the distinct historical trajectories of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania—including their integration into the Ottoman Empire as a key convergence factor. Second, the digital revolution is fundamentally transforming the discipline by expanding access to sources and enabling global scholarly competition, thereby challenging the longstanding monopoly that Romanian medievalists have held over local historical knowledge. The author warns that unless Romanian medieval studies adapt—by producing thematic monographs, engaging with interpretive questions rather than merely publishing new sources, and integrating into global historiographical debates—the field risks irrelevance or, worse, ideological instrumentalization.

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