Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Memories from the future : Constative and performed identities in ideologized spaces

Nicolau, Felix LU (2021) In Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies 4(1). p.173-186
Abstract

Although communism was a Western creation, its last consequences were implemented in southeastern Europe. In addition to the imposed aspects, there were local enthusiasms and excesses of zeal (euphemistically speaking), which attest to the existence of an identity matrix and a common mentality. Countries with an authoritarian tradition have absorbed this ideology of simultaneous denationalization and supra-nationalization to the deepest. In addition, after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the Southeast European space preserved mass nostalgia: Stalin, Tito and Ceausescu are still guardianship figures for many of various social categories. Imperialist stability and/or glory are two of the most important reasons for forgetting... (More)

Although communism was a Western creation, its last consequences were implemented in southeastern Europe. In addition to the imposed aspects, there were local enthusiasms and excesses of zeal (euphemistically speaking), which attest to the existence of an identity matrix and a common mentality. Countries with an authoritarian tradition have absorbed this ideology of simultaneous denationalization and supra-nationalization to the deepest. In addition, after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the Southeast European space preserved mass nostalgia: Stalin, Tito and Ceausescu are still guardianship figures for many of various social categories. Imperialist stability and/or glory are two of the most important reasons for forgetting communist terror. The research tries to identify and analyze the sources of historical instability that has an impact on the post-communist present - the communist heritage still looming large-, as well as to demystify certain stigmas unconditionally applied to Southeast European civilizations: corruption, laziness, negative Balkanization, frivolity and lack of consistency. This selective overview aims to decant common mentalities of synchrony in relation to diachrony.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Authoritarianism, Communism, Corruption, Post-communism, Southeast Europe, Totalitarianism
in
Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies
volume
4
issue
1
pages
14 pages
publisher
Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University
external identifiers
  • scopus:105007598319
ISSN
2003-0924
DOI
10.35824/SJRS.V4I1.22420
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Lund University, Centre for Languages and Literature. All rights reserved.
id
28feaaed-9c5f-4c12-b95e-8329f5a0ae08
date added to LUP
2026-02-03 14:33:07
date last changed
2026-02-03 14:33:44
@article{28feaaed-9c5f-4c12-b95e-8329f5a0ae08,
  abstract     = {{<p>Although communism was a Western creation, its last consequences were implemented in southeastern Europe. In addition to the imposed aspects, there were local enthusiasms and excesses of zeal (euphemistically speaking), which attest to the existence of an identity matrix and a common mentality. Countries with an authoritarian tradition have absorbed this ideology of simultaneous denationalization and supra-nationalization to the deepest. In addition, after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the Southeast European space preserved mass nostalgia: Stalin, Tito and Ceausescu are still guardianship figures for many of various social categories. Imperialist stability and/or glory are two of the most important reasons for forgetting communist terror. The research tries to identify and analyze the sources of historical instability that has an impact on the post-communist present - the communist heritage still looming large-, as well as to demystify certain stigmas unconditionally applied to Southeast European civilizations: corruption, laziness, negative Balkanization, frivolity and lack of consistency. This selective overview aims to decant common mentalities of synchrony in relation to diachrony.</p>}},
  author       = {{Nicolau, Felix}},
  issn         = {{2003-0924}},
  keywords     = {{Authoritarianism; Communism; Corruption; Post-communism; Southeast Europe; Totalitarianism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{173--186}},
  publisher    = {{Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University}},
  series       = {{Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies}},
  title        = {{Memories from the future : Constative and performed identities in ideologized spaces}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.35824/SJRS.V4I1.22420}},
  doi          = {{10.35824/SJRS.V4I1.22420}},
  volume       = {{4}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}