THE GERMAN MINORITY IN ROMANIA IN THE PAST AND IN THE PRESENT

Abstract

The German language and culture have played a significant part in the Romanian history and cultural development for centuries. The following paper presents the perspective of different representatives of the German Minority who chose to return to their hometowns after emigrating and spending many years abroad, mostly in Germany. Nowadays most of them are committed to keep their cultural heritage alive. By telling some of their stories I aim to show their understanding of the multicultural identity, to explore the reasons behind their return and to analyze to what extent their ethnic background has influenced their destiny and their everyday lives. In the first part of the paper I am discussing the historical reasons for the massive emigration of the German Minority from Romania in the 20th century and I try to define the concept of cultural identity. The second part is dedicated to the interviews with the members of the community who are now living in Romania by choice and by conviction.