Ethnic Groups in Symbolic Conflict. The ”Ethnicisation” of Public Space in Romania Cover Image

Ethnic Groups in Symbolic Conflict. The ”Ethnicisation” of Public Space in Romania
Ethnic Groups in Symbolic Conflict. The ”Ethnicisation” of Public Space in Romania

Author(s): Dragoş Dragoman
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti
Keywords: Ethnic conflict; symbolic power; public space; post-communism; Transylvania; Romania

Summary/Abstract: Although Romanian-Hungarian ethnic relations have been improved during the last two decades, they are still marked by recurrent crises that are rather symbolic. They range from the public use of Hungarian to the requirements for the Romanian citizenship and the special ties between the Hungarian diaspora and the kin state, but they encompass other issues, as the naming of localities in Transylvania, statues evoking national heroes and street names. Although generally overlooked, ethnic symbolism is a major obstacle in generating a neutral public space and a threat for a complete ethnic reconciliation in Transylvania for the decades to come.

  • Issue Year: 11/2011
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 105-121
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: English
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