Maria Tătar-Dan
în vol. Trasee și convergențe culturale și naționale în România Mare. Provincii, identități, destine, coord. Maria Tătar-Dan, Nicolae Enciu, Corina Teodor, Giordano Altarozzi, Cluj-Napoca, Editura Mega, 2026, ISBN: 978-630-372-121-7, pp. 189-216.

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Travels and Representations of Bessarabia and Transylvania in the Romanian Press (1918–1925)

The study analyses the manner in which Transylvania and Bessarabia were perceived and described by those who travelled across the country during the early years of Greater Romania. It focuses on a period when “spiritual unification” was felt as a pressing necessity and when traveling to discover the country was promoted as a privileged means of fostering closeness between “brothers” separated by history. Drawing on travel notes published in the contemporary press, including accounts from both collective and individual journeys, the study examines the images inhabitants of different regions formed of one another and the extent to which politically proclaimed unity was reflected in local experiences and perceptions. The analysis highlights the differing preconceptions travelers brought with them, viewing Bessarabia as an alienated, backward region and Transylvania as an admired site where “national unity was forged,” as well as common themes running through their accounts: the “foreign” nature of the urban landscape, the persistence of imperial legacies, questions regarding the locals’ national identity, and the discovery of forms of otherness within the Romanian community itself.

Keywords: Greater Romania; travel notes; Bessarabia; Transylvania; spiritual unification

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