Photo: Al. Badauță, Images Roumaines (Soussecretariat d’Etat de la Presse, 1932)

This research group is an interdisciplinary collaboration between three scholars who critically analyze the development of ideas about the natural landscape in Romania, the interaction between humans and nature and the relation between nature and the political, artistic and social spheres. We are interested in themes such as the interrelation between rural architectural heritage and the Carpathian landscape, the relationship between the history of nature conservation and the history of science, alpine history, the development of forestry, and the ecological history of Romania and Central and Eastern Europe, literary representations of nature and human and non-human animal encounters in Romanian literature and visual arts.

The constitution of this group is motivated by the urgency of such research considering the debates about nature exploitation in Romania (deforestation, mining projects) and the ongoing climate crisis as well as by the need to build upon the few groundbreaking research already written on environmental history in Romania. Its aim is to meet on a regular basis, at least once per month, to discuss our research, explore connections, ways in which we can develop common projects and in which we can involve other researchers with a general interest in environmental history. We will also organize open lectures, presentations of original research papers and work in progress from the members or guests at New Europe College. The ultimate aim of the research group is to define a project that is underpinned by  a solid methodological approach, based on innovative theories and that will be funded by a national or international grant agency.