Governing Memory in Post-Communist Romania: The Case of the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives
Governing Memory in Post-Communist Romania: The Case of the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives

Summary/Abstract: The study aims to analyse the post-89 Romanian system of memory governance of the communist period, by focusing on a case study: that of the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives (CNSAS). After discussing an overview of the institutional system in charge with the governance of the communist past in Romania, the paper deals with the attributions, internal rules, and procedures of the CNSAS. It also analyses the concepts that have been used to assign the status of political police collaborators. The paper argues that CNSAS was a key tool for governing the memory of the communist past in Romania, functioning at different levels: at the individual level by mediating the access of citizens to their personal Securitate files, and at a collective level because through its public discourse, CNSAS has shaped the concepts and collective perspective on the phenomenon of collaboration with the communist regime. Due to its politicization, the selective delivering of files to the CNSAS and the ambiguity of the legislation, the institution has become an effective political weapon in post-communist Romania.

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