Bucharest – Romania
Lead: AIX-MARSEILLE UNIVERSITY (AMU)
Work Package 5
- February 2025
Problems to be addressed
100 years after the opening of the French Institute in Romania, 45 years after the inauguration of Goethe-Institute in Bucharest, and 35 years after the Revolution in Romania, a discussion about the role of foreign cultural institutes during the communist dictatorship will held at the Goethe-Institute in Bucharest. The main pillars of disucssion will be regarding:
- The Role of Foreign Cultural Institutes Under Communism: Exploring how institutions such as the French Library, Goethe-Institut, and the British Council acted as “windows to the free world” during the communist dictatorship.
- Cultural Resistance Against Indoctrination: Examining how culture served as a form of resistance against isolation, propaganda, and censorship during Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime.
- Surveillance and Cultural Exchange: Analyzing the paradox of how these cultural institutes were allowed to operate despite severe state surveillance by the Securitate.
Target groups
- Historians and researchers in cultural and political history
- Journalists and media professionals
- Scholars and students in political science, history, and cultural studies
- The general public interested in Cold War history and cultural diplomacy
The Questions for this event
- How did foreign cultural institutes manage to operate within Ceaușescu’s dictatorship?
- What role did institutions such as the Goethe-Institut, the French Library, and Radio Free Europe play in maintaining cultural exchange?
Presenters – speakers – artists -actors
Roxana Lapadat
NARDIV PhD Student in Work Package 5 Shaping Perceptions by Cultural Diplomacy as Soft Power
Researcher, Curator and Theatre Maker
Initiator and Author of Performative Installation & Moderator of Talk: Liberty Through Culture?
Joachim Umlauf
NARDIV Team Member in Work Package 5 Shaping Perceptions by Cultural Diplomacy as Soft Power
Director of Goethe-Institute Bucharest
Moderator of Talk: Liberty Through Culture?
Germina Nagâț
Member of the CNSAS College – National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives
Guest Speaker
Liviu Tofan
Journalist, Writer, Former Deputy Director of Romanian editorial office of Radio Free Europe
Guest Speaker
Eufrozina Băițan
Head of the French Institute Media Library
Guest Speaker
Florin Țurcanu
Historian and Professor at the University of Bucharest
Guest Speaker
The Answers from this event
Cultural Institutions as Safe Spaces
The discussion explored how foreign cultural institutes provided intellectual and cultural refuge for Romanians seeking uncensored knowledge.
The Role of Radio Free Europe in Forming Public Opinion
Insights were shared on how the Radio Free Europe broadcasts influenced public opinion and kept the Romanian public informed despite state censorship
LEARN MORE
- Listen to Eufrozina Băițan on Radio Romania Cultural reflect on the French Institute’s history ahead of the Finissage & Discussion on foreign cultural institutes under communism.
- Coverage of the Finisage & Discussion on TVR Cultural Romania
- Permormative Installation: In the Loop of Cultural Times: 45 Years of Goethe-Institute in Romania