A Sample of Resilient Intercultural Coexistence in Ethnic Hungarian, Serbian and Bulgarian Communities in Western Romania

Abstract

This article sets out to highlight the way in which the phenomena of co-construction and territorial deconstruction make themselves apparent locally. We focused our study on Timiș County, core of the historical Banat region, for the reason that it is still an ethno-cultural mosaic linked to its cross-border space. We based our analysis on the exploitation of a specific bibliography and, especially, on a survey through questionnaire and interview. The regional socio-cultural identity of Banat was founded on the dialogue and intercultural co-construction that have been practised since 1718. The repeated processes of socio-spatial co-construction and deconstruction, due to the changes of sovereignty and limits, prove a remarkable identity resilience, Banat being a model of continuity of regional territoriality. In the current context of European integration and of regionalisation, these processes have been reactivated, with the ethnic minorities cultivating solidarity with their co-nationals over the border while also preserving solidarity with the present host country, Romania.

Keywords

• deconstruction of territory
• intercultural co-construction
• regional identity
• ethnic minorities
• cross-border relations
• Banat