Intelighenția sovietică în România: note de călătorie și rapoarte oficiale ale trimișilor sovietici în RPR (1945-1965)
Soviet Intellectuals in Romania: Travel Notes and Official Reports of Soviet Envoys in the Romanian People՚s Republic (1945-1965)

Summary/Abstract: In the context of cultural exchanges between the hegemonic Soviet power and its satellite, Romania, a significant role was played by the exchange of experiences and the travels of a social category referred to generically as “intellectuals” during that time. Every year, dozens of Romanian-Soviet meetings took place in Romania, fostering mutual understanding among academics, writers, artists, and filmmakers. To study this phenomenon, I examined a series of institutional reports in the archives of Romania and the Russian Federation, as well as articles and brochures published by Soviet intellectuals about their travels and research in Romania. Despite the fact that most of the testimonies were written on command, we attempted to observe and contextualize details beyond the wooden language and political history clichés about “our defenders, Lenin and Stalin”. The Romanian-Soviet friendship project was not a simplistic one; it operated through numerous channels and took on multiple forms. International ideological competition led the project to gain new experiences and engage a wide range of actors, from cultural personalities to workers, collective farmers, and collectivists.

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