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What is going on?
Right now, the statue is placed in the the backyard of the Catholic Cathedral, behind bars.
Resorting to History
The meeting organized by the members of the Great Romania party on March 14, 2004 took place in Avram Iancu Square of Arad. It was meant as a protest against the government’s decision to place “The Statue of Liberty” in “Firefighters’Square of Arad and it proved that nationalistic impulses, though scarce and somehow romantic are still present in the Romanian society.
How should we resort to history? This question can be crucial, considering the current socio-political background we place ourselves.
The nationalism promoted by the elite of the 19th century managed to generate conflicts on territorial issues, based on principles such as the right of the first inhabitant on this land (the Romanians) or the right of true “heir” of a medieval administration (the Hungarians). In the modern era, the romantic culture promoted by the |Germans had a great influence on both scholars and politicians in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Romanians and the Hungarians understood and embraced the concept of nation as an expression of “volkgeist”,in which a nation is defined exclusively within the limits of an ethnicity.
Today, The European Union requires the development of an identity based on common continental values, symbols and memory. History has proved that ethno-culture cannot uphold all by itself political desiderata based on dialog, common interests and aspiration to integrate into super-state and super-national structures. As both Romania and Hungary became nations relatively late in the course of their history, their peoples have not had enough time to get rid of their nationalistic feelings.
Can the young generations identify themselves with a nationalistic discourse, which was characteristic to the 19th century?
We cannot believe that , since the number of the young people participating in nationalistic meetings is too small to be significant and representative. If they participate in such meetings, it is more or less out of curiosity rather than out of an attempt to identify themselves with an idea or movement.
It is the duty of the Romanian politicians and scholars to offer another perspective upon concepts such as national identity on the eve of the enlargement of the European Union. Some historians and political analysts have already tried to offer alternatives; instead of resorting to history to justify claims of precedence on the land it is much more constructive to re-think the concept of nation while taking into account its civic dimension. We need to find common grounds in our history, not moments capable of generating more tension and dispute.
(Article by Mr. Antoniu Martin - historian)