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Writing History in a Propaganda Institute

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Writing History in a Propaganda Institute WRITING HISTORY IN A PROPAGANDA INSTITUTE INSTITUTE WRITING IN A PROPAGANDA HISTORY Writing History in a Propaganda Institute Romania’s Party History Institute has been portrayed as a loyal ex- Political Power and Network Dynamics in Communist Romania ecutioner of the Communist Party’s will. Yet, recent investigations of the institute’s archive tell a diff erent story. Francesco Zavatti In 1990, the Institute for Historical and Socio-Political Studies of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party (previously the Party History Institute) was closed. Since its foundation in 1951 it had produced thousands of books and journals for the Communist Party on the history of both the Party and Romania. Th is book is dedicated to the study of the Party History Institute, the history-writers employed there and the narratives they produced. By studying the history-writers and their host institution, the his- toriography produced under Communist rule has been re-contextu- alized. For the fi rst time, this highly controversial institute and its vacillating role are scrutinized by a scholarly eye. Francesco Zavatti is a historian at Södertörn University, Sweden, and is affi liated with the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) and the School of Historical and Contemporary Studies. Francesco Zavatti Francesco Distribution: Södertörn University, Library, SE-141 89 Huddinge. [email protected] SÖDERTÖRN DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS Writing History in a Propaganda Institute Writing History in a Propaganda Institute Political Power and Network Dynamics in Communist Romania Francesco Zavatti Södertörn University The Library SE-141 89 Huddinge www.sh.se/publications © Francesco Zavatti Cover image: Fotografia #LA079, Fototeca online a comunismului românesc (Online communism photo collection, National Archives of Romania 01.03.2016), (ANIC, fondul ISISP, 79/1976: Solemnitatea decorării lui Ion Popescu-Puţuri la împlinirea vârstei de 70 de ani cu „Steaua Republicii Socialiste România” cls. I. Sediul C.C. al P.C.R. (26 May 1976) Cover layout: Jonathan Robson Graphic Form: Per Lindblom & Jonathan Robson Printed by Elanders, Stockholm 2016 Södertörn Doctoral Dissertations 119 ISSN 1652-7399 ISBN 978-91-87843-45-7 (print) ISBN 978-91-87843-46-4 (digital) Abstract In 1990, the Institute for Historical and Socio-Political Studies of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party was closed, since the Party was dissolved by the Romanian Revolution. Similar institutions had existed in all countries belonging to the Soviet bloc. This Institute was founded in 1951 under the name of the Party History Institute, and model- led on the Marx-Lenin-Engels Institute in Moscow. Since then, it served the Communist Party in producing thousands of books and journals on the history of the Party and of Romania, following Party orders. Previous research has portrayed the Institute as a loyal executioner of the Party’s will, negating the agency of its history-writers in influencing the duties of the Institute. However, the recent opening of the Institute’s archive has shown that a number of internal and previously obscured dynamics impacted on its activities. This book is dedicated to the study of the Party History Institute, of the history-writers employed there, and of the narratives they produced. By studying the history-writers and their host institution, this study re-con- textualizes the historiography produced under Communist rule by analys- ing the actual conditions under which it was written: the interrelation between dynamics of control and the struggle for resources, power and positions play a fundamental role in this history. This is the first scholarly inquiry about a highly controversial institute that struggled in order to follow the constantly shifting Party narrative canon, while competing for material resources with rival Party and academic institutions. The main actors in this study are the history-writers: Party veterans, young prop- agandists and educated historians, in conflicting networks and groups, struggled in order to gain access to the limited resources and positions provided by the Party, and in order to survive the political changes imposed by the leadership. By doing so they succeed, on many occasions, to influ- ence the activities of the Institute. Keywords: historiography, history-writing, Romania, history and power, sovereignty, communism, national-communism, resources, narrative canon, networking. Acknowledgments The pages that follow aim at historicizing this dissertation and its author, after many books and authors have been historicized unmercifully in this work. The list of persons and institutions that I have to thank is very long, since they have all contributed to the making of this manuscript. My first thanks are addressed to the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies, which in the last five years provided me with the finan- cial resources needed for writing a dissertation. I acknowledge also the precious help of the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation, which awarded me during these years with three distinct scholarships: two in order to inves- tigate the Romanian archives in 2013 and 2014, and a dissertation com- pletion scholarship in 2015. I thank also the History Board of the School of Historical and Contemporary Studies for that granting me an additional fellowship at the beginning of 2016. I wish to thank here all the responsible persons of my third-cycle education at the Baltic and East European Graduate Studies (BEEGS), Södertörn University: Ann Runfors, Lars Ekdahl, Magnus Rodell, Johan Rönnby, Joakim Ekman, Mark Bassin, Maria Zackariasson, and Maria Wol- rath-Söderberg. In addition, I wish to thank Sabine Höhler, Susanna Lidström, Libby Robin and Sverker Sörlin for welcoming me at KTH En- vironmental Humanities Laboratory at the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment for the Geographies of Heritage graduate course in 2012 and Lars Kaijser and Tom Dubois for the exciting course Strategies of Representation, held at the Department of Ethnology at Stock- holm University in 2013. I extend my thanks to my supervisors, Per Bolin and Heiko Droste, who have guided me during these years, scrutinizing my ideas and checking their feasibility. Their advice contributed to highlight my primary idea and to remove what was peripheral. Receiving a so thorough feedback in each and every text presented to them during the years was sometimes discouraging; sometimes, it was also frustrating; but I 7 think this high-quality scholarly procedure paid off. Per and Heiko, thank you for all your feedbacks, comments, revisions, corrections, improve- ments, and for the many days of your lives spent on this text. I acknowledge the help received by all the academic staff of BEEGS, CBEES, and the School of Historical and Contemporary Studies. In parti- cular, Anu-Mai Kõll, Kekke Stadin, Helene Carlbäck, Lars Ekdahl, Made- leine Hurd, Norbert Götz, Jenny Gunnarsson Payne, Jenni Rinne, Thomas Lundén, Péter Balogh, Marco Nase, Mark Bassin, Karin Jonsson, Julia Malitska, Michał Salamonik, Martin Andersson, Andrej Kotljarchuk, Nadezda Petrusenko, Ann-Judith Rabenschlag, and Steffen Werther have been giving me many useful ideas on how to improve this text. You are a crew well worth working with. Thank you for the past four years. A special mention is reserved for my official opponents at the History Higher Seminars in these four years for having contributed to point out strengths and weak- nesses of former versions of this manuscript. David Gaunt, Ragnar Björk, Anders Blomqvist, and Stefano Bottoni: thank you for accepting this task. Another special mention goes to my proof-reader Christopher Kennard. A special mention is due to the Södertörn Library and Södertörn Publishing: thank you Michal Bron Jr, Dace Lagerborg, Greta Linder, Djuna Franzén, Frida Frimodt, Mats Alexandersson, Per Lindblom, Irene Moya, and Jonathan Robson. I acknowledge also the help of all the administrative personnel of CBEES/BEEGS and of the School of Historical and Contem- porary Studies: Lena Arvidson, Nina Cajhamre, Karin Lindebrant, Ewa Rogström, Calle Aaro, Lisa Stålnacke, Mona Wallén, Marianne Stuedahl, Anna Kåhre, Eleonora Bru, Jorid Palm, Mari Gerdin, and Lena Hansson. Born and raised in Italy, researching on a foreign country (Romania) and being graduate student in another foreign country (Sweden) have been two challenges for me. I have learned to live through them, and to take the opportunities they can offer. It would have been, and still would be, very difficult, if not impossible, to make it without a network of colleagues, friends, and helpers of various kinds. I express my gratitude to all the per- sons that provided me help of various kind before and during my field-trips to Italy and Romania in 2013 and 2014: Claudio Silingardi, Giuliano Albarani, Marika Losi, Metella Montanari, Mara Malavasi, Franco Zoboli, Deborah Paci, Jacopo Bassi, Rolf Petri, Mark Bassin, Sorin Antohi, Cristian Vasile, Bogdan Cristian Iacob, Mircea Borcilă, Rozalinda Borcilă, Alin Mihai Gherman, Marius Stan, Réka Krizmanics, Şefan Andreescu, Dorli Blaga, Ion Bulei, Paul Michelson, Şerban Papacostea, Florian Tănăsescu and Georgeta Tudoran. I thank all the staff of the National Council for the Study 8 of the Securitate Archives Dragoş Petrescu, Alina Ilinca, Silviu B. Moldovan, George Vişan, and of the National Archive of Romania Ioan Drăgan, Alina Pavelescu, Ioana Mihai, Valentin Fuşcan, Veronica Nicoleta Vasilov, Rodica Victoria Canae, Roxana
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