Principiile identităţii culturale româneşti în memorialistica de călătorie a scriitorului Eugen Simion
The Principles of the Romanian Cultural Identity in the Memoirs of Contemporary Romanian Writer Eugen Simion

Summary/Abstract: This paper is ranging among the broader theme of relating to and framing into the national identity of the Romanians in the European cultural space. The fact that we are transgressing a period of mutual assimilation of national and European values, the present process of cultural globalisation, as well as the necessary continuous exercise of preserving the local values are related to an older principle of verticality of the Romanian culture. The Romanian writers have always represented the most fertile media of promoting the national identity abroad, whether we talk about the pre- or inter-war periods, or we think of the highly debated post-war period, inclusively of the totalitarian-like culture, which created various pseudo-cultural effects. The dualism Identity/Alterity, manifested both at an individual level and also at a larger level of cultures, is highly debated today, mainly from the perspective of the theory of mentalities and imagology The main preoccupation should be the assimilation of the European values as such, but also the cultural dialogue which our culture should propose to Europe, without concessions, without identity losses, without the feeling of the margin. It is not only Mitteleuropa which asks for infusions of healthy cultural Romanian principles but the entire European culture. Very many Romanian major writers performed, in their memoirs, interviews and articles, or in the masked confessions of their major works, this original position: how is Europe seen, along with its values, filtered by the conscience of the Romanians, and, respectively, how prepared is this 21st century Europe to open itself towards the Romanian authenticity? One of the most interesting nowadays concept is the false adversity between “Identity” and “Alterity”, even if we talk about individuals or cultures (institution of culture!). On the other hand, we constantly talk about “globalization” as a process of creating a new active hierarchy of cultural values, according to the main idea of “coexistence” without loosing the national character (meaning respect for history, traditions, spirituality, education, national masterpieces a.s.o.). In fact, a new version of the old concept “homo europaeus” became active, including both cultural memories and nowadays expectations.

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