NATION, NATIONALISM AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM COLLECTIONS IN INTERWAR ROMANIA (1918-1939)
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2021-02-12

The First World War and the Union of 1918 are two events that completely reshaped the Kingdom of Romania at the beginning of the 20th century. The territory and population of the Romanian Kingdom doubled, as a result of the unification with the provinces of Bessarabia, Bukovina and Transylvania. Romanians then found themselves in the process of defining their own identity within the newly formed Greater Romania. In the years that followed, Romanian authorities aimed at maintaining the recently gained territories and defending them against Hungarian and Russian revisionism. They also wished to integrate the large number of ethnic minorities and finish the legislative, administrative and economic unification of the provinces. Solidarity and unity were seen as key factors in achieving these goals which created a fertile ground for the flourishing of a nationalist discourse that emphasized Romanian individuality. This discourse also impacted the archaeological research and museum practices of the time. Which were the scientific narratives built around museums and their collections? Which were the agendas behind collecting, researching and exhibiting archaeological objects and collections in Romania between the Two World Wars? This paper explores the role of archaeological museums and collections in the construction of the Romanian nation and identity in interwar Romania, from 1918 to 1939.


Author(s): Coltofean-Arizancu, Laura (University of Barcelona)