Inter-ethnic Coexistence, Ethno-religious Identification and School Segregation in Topliţa. Research Notes Cover Image

Convieţuire interetnică, identifi care etno-religioasă şi segregare şcolară în Topliţa. Note de cercetare
Inter-ethnic Coexistence, Ethno-religious Identification and School Segregation in Topliţa. Research Notes

Author(s): Radu Baltasiu
Subject(s): Sociology, Theology and Religion, Sociology of Culture, Ethnic Minorities Studies
Published by: Editura Eikon
Keywords: sociology of religion; ethnicity; segregation; interculturality; neointerpretative methodology;

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this report is to outline the community coherence issues of Topliţa, Harghita county,having as starting points the ethnic and religious issues found. It is based on a qualitative and exploratory field research, conducted in August-September 2013. Regarding the methodological approach, the research is based on the neo-interpretative approach. During the study, the emphasis is focused upon identifying the springs of the community’s religious identity and the way they are customized according to the ethnic factor.The geographical location and historical past of Topliţa underlines a complex identity, of ethnic and religious confluence. The study attempts to decipher the manner in which the social memory managed to keep (or not)the traditional elements connected to the ethnic-religious identification, the components of inter-ethnic representations,and communitary self-identification of this kind, the role of religious institutions in maintaining social harmony or in terms of potential conflict that the latest paradigms of sociology of religions assigns to religious phenomena. Another direction of research is given by the social and symbolic involvement of various religious institutions and by the manner in which they implement the social change through various assistance programs they develop, which can reveal the relevance of religious identity in the ethnic context of Topliţa.

  • Issue Year: 12/2014
  • Issue No: 04
  • Page Range: 28-39
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Romanian