National identity through culture in the Însemnări ieșene [notes from Jassy] magazine. A case study

Abstract

Since its first issue, of January 1, 1936, the „Însemnări ieșene” [„Notes from Jassy”] Magazine (1936-1940) has emphasized the orientation of „a group of intellectuals” that aimed to continue the tradition of the literary, cultural and scientific circles from Moldavia, with a focus on a series of ideas related to „national specificity”, „popular language”, „cultural unification”. For almost five years, the magazine polarized intellectuals from all over Moldavia and had an intense program of dissemination of the Romanian culture through the organization of itinerant conferences in the cities of Jassy, Tighina, Kishinev, Soroca and Balti. The September 1, 1940 issue of the magazine was dedicated to Bessarabia and Bukovina and was remarkable for its spiritual Romanian essence. The present paper dwells on the importance of this special issue of the magazine, which deals with a number of representative topics announced by the article titles such as: „Basarabia până la 1812” [„Bessarabia until 1812”], „Viața românească în Basarabia (1812-1918”) [„Romanian Life in Bessarabia (1812-1918)”], „Mărturii moldovenești la Nistru” [„Moldavian Testimonies on the Dniester River”], „Basarabia – provincie istorică rusească?” [„Bessarabia– Russian Historical Province?”], „Universitatea din Cernăuți” [„The University of Chernivtsi”], „A doua pierdere a Bucovinei și Basarabiei” [„The Second Loss of Bukovina and Bessarabia”], „Iar vremuri de bejanie”, [„New Times of Turmoil”], „Și totuși, nu deznădăjduim!” [„And Yet, We Do Not Despair!”] and many more. This unique issue was illustrated with numerous images from Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, as well as with portraits of cultural personalities born in the Romanian land between the Prut and Dniester rivers, all meant to discuss and emphasize the national identity of Romanians through culture.