The Influence of Anticommunism over Recent Romanian Historiography.

The aim of the study is to uncover the relation between political anticommunism, as a dominant meta-ideology in the Romanian intellectual environment, and the studying directions, language and typology of conclusions presented by historiography. The object of this study is made up of research works that can be assimilated to the 1990-2004 historiography focusing on Romanian communism. The analysis grid proposed for understanding how communism influenced Romanian historiography has four pillars: methodological options derived from major historiography currents; frequent study theme; stylistics of the historical discourse; the issue of responsibility/guilt. The predominant ideology which can be identified in the texture of Romanian historiography concerning the 1945-1989 period is anticommunism. The main problem generated by a historiography contaminated by anticommunist ideology is that history contributes to legitimizing a sui generis populism, nourishing the anti-modern discourse of a part of Romanian intelligentsia and political actors that use the anticommunist legitimacy in the public space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]