Political Identities and Property Restitution in Transylvania, Romania

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This project involves a cultural anthropologist from Johns Hopkins University in an ethnographic study of decollectivization -- changing private property rights -- in one Transylvanian community of Romania. The project will examine how decollectivization affects people's fundamental relations with state authorities and institutions. The researcher will observe and examine court cases, interview villagers, local authorities, judges and lawyers and government officials, observe the work of the village Land Commission, and consult archives and local print media. These methods will produce a detailed picture of how property restitution is taking place, what sorts of property rights are being created, and how villagers are developing new concepts of themselves as citizens and property-holders in relation to the land and the state. This research is important because the changing societies of Eastern Europe often lead observers to assume that the societies are simply becoming more `democratic` in the sense of imitating Western capitalism. The reality is that the histories of each place constrain the distribution of power and privilege, and limit access to justice and civil rights by different groups. Research which provides a rich case study of one community evolving a new relation between democracy and private property will advance our understanding of the general principles involved.