Bitkova Tatiana Georgievna – Ph.D. in Philology, Leading Researcher, INION RAS
The Romanian state, on the one hand, pursues a policy of integrating small cultural communities into the general Romanian society, and on the other, is concerned about the conflict-free resolution of pressing problems of ethnic minorities, whose main task is to preserve their own identity. From the point of view of integration opportunities, the most numerous and united diasporas are of greatest interest: Hungarian and Roma. Analysis of the materials presented in the article allows us to draw several conclusions. A peculiarity of the consciousness of the Hungarian ethnic group living in Romania is the feeling of belonging to a more developed civilization and the traditions of an older state. This implies a requirement for at least cultural autonomy, and at a maximum - Romania’s refusal of the unitary form of government in favor of federalization, which causes a negative reaction from the central government. The Hungarian diaspora, as an urgent requirement, declares the expansion of the scope of use of the Hungarian language and education in it in places of compact residence, the preservation of toponymy, symbolizing the original presence of Hungarians in Transylvania. As for the Roma, their integration into Romanian society seems, on the one hand, more real, and on the other hand, it comes up against a centuries-old tradition of living according to their own internal “laws”, which often do not fit in with the laws of Romania. The state carries out many programs to popularize Roma traditional creativity and to involve Roma children in education. The latter encounters resistance from families who have unquestioned authority in this environment. The goal, according to educated members of the Roma community, is to combine European education with the skills and concepts that children absorb within the Roma community. So far this problem is far from being resolved. The author comes to the conclusion that both the Hungarian and Roma communities, despite their absolute differences, are united by the desire for isolation, which is the cause of the greatest concern of the central government.
Romania, ethnic minorities, Hungarians, Roma, integration, cultural identity, politics.
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