Culturally Divided by a River: Rural Identity and Regional belonging of Two Rural Communities in Romania

Alexandru Dragan; Remus Creţan; Sebastian Ioan Jucu; Oana Andreea Oancea

doi:10.20944/preprints202406.1477.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 19 June 2024 / Approved: 20 June 2024 / Online: 21 June 2024 (07:19:10 CEST)

In contemporary narratives, the rural and regional identities of a place, as judged by its inhabitants’ sense of belonging, continue to be important points that need to be (re)considered when discussing places as instruments for local development. This paper pushes forward these debated and explores the construction of rural and regional identity in Romania with the help of a case study that focuses on two rural communities situated on opposite sides of the river Mureș. Based on participant and ethnographic observation and making use of a qualitative analysis, this paper highlights the most significant features of the local cultural identities expressed by the two sets of people, which often coincide with the most important characteristics attributed to the regions separated by the river Mureș. The results of this study underline the dividing role of a river in the preservation of rural and regional identity. They also demonstrate that rural identity construction along the river has generated both rural development opportunities and various risks.

rural and regional cultural identity; rural identity construction; river Mureș; Romania

Social Sciences, Ethnic and Cultural Studies

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Culturally Divided by a River: Rural Identity and Regional belonging of Two Rural Communities in Romania

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