Beschreibung
Although postsocialist Romania ranks as one of the most religious
countries in Europe, the role of religion in public life is relatively
little understood. In this book László Fosztó investigates a village in
Transylvania populated by members of two minority groups, Hungarians and
Roma. Religion and ritual provide important resources for individuals and
communities seeking to assert themselves publicly. The need for public
affirmation among minorities is acute, but the forms of ritual they adopt
differ. Some groups are more receptive to the revival of communal rituals
and “traditions”, whereas for others revitalisation seems to be more
effective when it is individually focused through conversion to
Pentecostalism. Fosztó demonstrates that, even within a small community,
different segments may opt for divergent forms of religious and cultural
revival. Whereas Calvinism relies on the affirmation of cultural values to
mobilise the faithful, Pentecostalism advocates a new form of moral
personhood which is particularly attractive to Roma.
