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Lucian Boia

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History and Myth in Romanian Consciousness Paperback – 1 Jan. 2001

by Lucian Boia (Author)

4.0 11 ratings

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There is a considerable difference between real history and discourse history - this book stems from this idea. The author points out that history is constantly reconstructed, adapted and sometimes mythified from the perspective of the present day, of present states of mind and ideologies. Boia closely examines the process of historical culture and conscience in nineteenth and twentieth century Romania, particularly concentrating on the impact of the national ideology on history. Based upon his findings, the author identifies several key mythical configurations and analyses the manner in which Romanians have reconstituted their own highly ideologized history over the last two centuries.

The strength of History and Myth in Romanian Consciousness lies in the author's ability to fully deconstruct the entire Romanian historiographic system and demonstrate the increasing acuteness of national problems in general, and in particular the exploitation of history to support national ideology.

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Print length

296 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Central European University Press
Publication date

1 Jan. 2001
Dimensions

15.24 x 2.54 x 22.86 cm
ISBN-10

9639116971
ISBN-13

978-9639116979
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Product description

Review

"...a happy event for those teaching Romanian history in English... Boia writes with verve and the translation reads well on the whole, making this study of the axes ground by Romanian historians in the last centuries not only informative, but fun to read."

"Boia's work has had a huge impact on Romanian public opinion, and has triggered a serious rethinking of the links between the nation, the nation-state, national identity, history, and politics. On a more theoretical level, his work is pioneering the integration of contemporary Western scholarship on nationalism, deconstructivism, postmodern history into the Romanian historigraphic discourse."

"History and Myth represents one of the most sophisticated archeologies in Romanian historiography, past and present. With the insight of both the native and the scholar, Romanian historian Lucian Boia nuancedly presents and - without "demythologizing," as the author himself declares - deconstructs the Romanian "imaginary" as a matter of myths expressed in public and private, formal and informal discursive spaces. The two Introductions to the first and second Romanian editions that preface this volume are extremely valuable since they (re)iterate the topic of the book - "history as discourse" - and (re)contextualize some newer myths of the late 1990s, which captured the public eye after the first edition was issued. ... History and Myth offers a challenging perspective, a clearly translated narrative, and an indispensable analytical tool for scholars of Romania and of Eastern European history and politics."

"It is an extraordinarily interesting and provocative work, one that, not surprisingly, provoked a huge firestorm. As the author wryly notes, while contemporary Romanians have no problem with castigating the presidents of post-1989 Romania, most shy away from criticizing medieval Romanian princes and other historical heroes. ... excellent translation..."

About the Author

Lucian Boia is Professor of History at the University of Bucharest,

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Central European University Press (1 Jan. 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 296 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9639116971
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9639116979
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 2.54 x 22.86 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 1,577,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer reviews:
4.0 11 ratings

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MirceaD

Finally an honest history about Romania

Reviewed in Canada on 8 July 2019

Verified Purchase

Well written and finally a book that demythologizes the official Romanian history. While fairly mild in the novelty of the theories presented the value of the book is in the fact that finally a Romanian historian spells the truth in writing. It is worth reading and all in all is a very pleasant experience.

Laz

The book will lead the reader through the most important moments of the history of this most amazing country and will present th

Reviewed in the United States on 9 December 2014

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This book is extraordinary! It was a revelation for me, and an unexpected one! I did leave Romania in January of 1989, and I was then, as I am now, an avid student of history and politics. I never thought I would find a book on this subject that is extremely well documented, objective, constructive and a delightful read! And published in impeccable English! For anyone interested in the true history of Romania and the Romanians, this book is a must read. I cannot commend the author enough for his courage! In our days as in the past passion dominates reason for too many. And too many detest seeing their myths as they are, just myths. This book, and "Romania: borderland of Europe" did fill a huge gap in Romanian historiography. It is for the first time that a scientific and objective analysis of all the sources meets a soul and a mind that are not afraid of logical conclusions or the backlash of those with opinions too entrenched in ideology and tradition.
The book will lead the reader through the most important moments of the history of this most amazing country and will present the myths, the ways those myths came about and the facts that prompted their reconsideration and lead to the current view. This process is not only enlightening but also brings Romanian historiography in line with the historiography of its neighbors, closing centuries long gaps in understanding.
The style is free flowing and light as a novel that you can't put down once you started reading.
If you are interested in learning about the Romanians and the history of central and south-eastern Europe, read this book! It will take you way past of the level of the western born Dracula myths!

6 people found this helpful

Vitentia Mihelcic

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on 2 April 2016

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Good!

4 people found this helpful

James

Thought provoking!

Reviewed in the United States on 29 July 2013

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Prof. Boia's work can be read on two levels, one as Romanian history, and one as an historiographic case study, the history of a history. Mythologizing and editorializing on history are vastly important issues to understand as history is continuously re-evaluated, not just by the academy with new research or new sources, but contextually in the consciousness of the times. The clever citizen also does well to become more conscious of how historic "truths" may be selectively sublimated into myths as received wisdom and unifying forces over time, and how political and social rhetoric over time can "re-contextualize" the past and present to serve its own ends: "He who controls the past...." This book invites us down that road.

As Romanian history, this is perhaps not a beginner's book; the international reader would do well to have a reasonable understanding of Romanian history and its key figures in broad outline, or better yet, to have spent some time in Romania (recommended in any case) first. I do hope the author's latest work, "Why Romania is Different", will come out in translation, because the country's difference is both interesting and too-often overlooked. My survival Romanian helps, and Romania is not the dark and venal place that the comtemporary media and periodic attemps at social humor often portray. While Romania has many challenges and its own deep social and political issues, the international public and academy both could use a more thoughtful update to the author's "Romania".

5 people found this helpful

Roger Crowley

How did myth creep into Romanian history?

Reviewed in the United States on 17 November 2007

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Like all histories, Romania's history reflects not only the personal viewpoint of the historian writing the history, but also of the political environment of the moment. Tracing the history presented in various school textbooks over the years, the author notes the changes in the Romanian "heros" who are presented. And he uses the mythology built up around Michael the Brave (Mihai Viteazul), who was the first to "unite" the three historic principalities of Romania, to illustrate how history can be rewritten to fall in line with current political ideologies.

Mythology crept into Romania's history because history is normally written about the powerful people in a country. And Romania had few powerful people to raise up on a historic pedestal. So the Romanian historians often invented a hero or raised his actions from the obscure to the heroic level.

Lucian Boia doesn't claim that this is some kind of intentional evil, but is often done simply because the Romanian people throughout most of their history have been village oriented people who were subdued by powerful kingdoms and empires who controlled the city (and about whom the history books were written).

The book is a "must read" for anyone attempting to unravel the sometimes conflicting "histories" of Romania. And even for Romanians themselves who feel that their school history textbook was infallible and presented the only true history of Romania.

24 people found this helpful

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History and Myth in Romanian Consciousness Paperback – 1 Jan. 2001

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Lucian Boia

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