Sociologie Românească, Vol. VIII, no. 1/2010, pp. 124-137.
Mobilising "culture' and "religion": Ritual practices and social relations among two minority groups in rural Transylvania
László Fosztó*
*ISPMN, Cluj-Napoca
Abstract: This article is based on an ethnographic study of a Transylvanian village inhabited by Hungarians and Roma. I analyse the processes of ritual revitalisation which is characteristic of the postsocialist period. My main argument is that religion and ritual provide important resources for individuals and communities seeking to assert themselves publicly in postsocialist Romania. The need for public affirmation among minorities is acute, and the forms of ritual they adopt differs: some groups are more receptive to the revival of communal rituals and 'traditions', while for others, revitalisation is focused on the individual. The two denominations considered in this study are Calvinism and Pentecostalism. Calvinism relies on the affirmation of cultural values to mobilise the faithful while Pentecostalism advocates a new form of moral personhood which is particularly attractive to a segment of the local Roma.
Keywords: rural Transylvania, minorities, postsocialist public sphere, ritual revitalisation, conversion, Pentecostalism.
Cuvinte cheie: Transilvania rurală, minorităţi, spaţiul public postsocialist, revitalizarea ritualurilor, conversie religioasă, penticostalism.