Nation-Building and Contested Identities: Romanian & Hungarian ...

RÃZVAN PÂRÂIANUvatism of history as a discipline. Considering this, the teaching of historyand the contents of history textbooks are important issues for postcommunistdemocracies. Nationalism, usually suppressed by the communistregimes, has played an important role in the anti-communistsocial and cultural movements. At the same time, this silenced nationalismhas been instrumentalized by the communist regimes themselvesin order to acquire popular support and legitimacy. Therefore, it isquite logical that ultra-nationalists are often in the same camp with formercommunists.The debate about textbooks has revealed a growing distancebetween the new generation of historians and the ethno-national “vulgata.”After the scandal of 1999, it could be argued that young historiansbecame frightened by the possible pressure of the ethno-national “vulgata”that tends to underpin the former establishment and hierarchies. Inthe context of the diminishing of state funds for historical research andstudies, young historians, who are less integrated into state institutions,are forced to rely on external resources. The state is not a valuable sourcefor professional recognition any more and these young intellectuals areinclined much more toward democratic values. At the same time, the crisisof the system jeopardizes the possibility of cultural reproduction.Therefore, the anxiety about a national history tends to be decreased infavor of a more open attitude about this issue. The professional mobilityhelps this phenomenon and may be a valuable source of change.A favorable political context could strengthen the reformist mainstream.A public debate could probably offer a better framework forobtaining social support for a political reform of education, history teaching,cultural settings of the democratic political culture of Romania, butthe present circumstances do not support any euphoric attitude. After the2000 elections, politicians, who have criticized the Sigma textbook, cameto power, and the conservative historians who are close to them havetaken control over numerous academic institutions. Therefore, it seemsthat, for the moment at least, the historical “vulgata” is in no danger to beoverthrown; it remains nevertheless to be seen if the polemic over“national” history will surface again.112