Fieldwork in Socialist Romania: The Umass Romanian Research Group

Abstract

This special issue of Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Sociologia originates from the panel “Shaping the Field of Romanian Studies: American & Romanian Scholars at Work” chaired by Vintilă Mihăilescu and organized by Iuliu Rațiu at the Conference of the Society for Romanian Studies (SRS), Bucharest 26-29 June, 2018. In line with the general theme of the conference, “#Romania100: Looking Forward through the Past”, the participants, all of whom had done research in Romania, were invited to present their views on what shaped the field of Romanian Studies, with a focus on academic exchanges and the mutual influence between international and Romanian scholars. Three participants in this panel, László Fosztó, David Kideckel, and Steven Sampson have submitted their revised presentations for this issue. Another panel member, Sam Beck, was unable to attend. Viorel Anăstăsoaie attended the panel; finally, Steven Randall did not attend the panel but graciously accepted later to reflect back on his fieldwork experience. In the transition from panel discussions to printed essays, it became apparent that the contribution of the University of Massachusetts Romanian Research Group to the field of Romanian Studies and, more specifically, to anthropology deserved more attention. The members of the Romanian Research Group and their major research interests are: Sam Beck―marginal peasant communities, regional political economy; John W. Cole―village socio-economic organization, domestic economy; David A. Kideckel―agricultural collectivization, peasant-workers; Marilyn McArthur―inter-ethnic relations; Steven Randall― domestic economy, mountain communities; and, Steven Sampson―urbanization, regional planning (Kideckel and Sampson, 1984).