Transitional Politics of Memory: Political Strategies of Managing the Past in Post-communist Romania

Abstract

The article develops a typology of political strategies of coming to terms with the past as a theoretical frame of reference against which it assesses the transitional politics of memory pursued in Romanian post-communist society. It argues that after an initial ‘elusive’ strategy based on a politics of amnesia gave way to a confrontationist stance promoting a politics of anamnesis, the communist past was both politically criminalised and symbolically demonised. The article concludes by arguing that the failure of the ‘mastering the past’ paradigm epitomised by the 2006 Tism?neanu Report needs to give way to a ‘normalising’ paradigm of remembering Romanian communism.     

Population genetic study of eight short tandem repeat loci CSF1PO,TPOX, TH01, F13A01, FESFPS,vWA, F13B and LPL in the Western Romanian population

Allele frequencies for eight tetranucleotide short tandem repeat (STR) loci-CSF1PO, TPOX, TH01, F13A01, FESFPS, vWA, F13B, LPL-were obtained from a population sample of 105-122 unrelated individuals born in Transylvania and Banat (Romania).     

Myocardial Bridging: A Meta‐Analysis of Prevalence

The main objective of this article was to analyze prevalence data about myocardial bridging (MB) in published studies. To this purpose, we performed a meta‐analysis of studies published in English literature that contained data about the prevalence of MB and its anatomical characteristics. The overall prevalence was 19% (CI: 17–21%); autopsy studies revealed an overall prevalence of 42% (CI: 30–55%), CT studies 22% (CI: 18–25%), and coronary angiography 6% (CI: 5–8%). Most bridges were located on the left anterior descending artery (82% overall, 63% on autopsy studies), had a mean thickness of 2.47 mm and a mean length of 19.3 mm. In conclusion, autopsy studies should be the gold standard in evaluating the actual prevalence of myocardial bridges, while in vivo high‐resolution CT scanning should be preferred to coronary angiography studies.     

How Political Opportunities Strengthen the Far Right: Understanding the Rise in Far-Right Militancy in Russia

This article provides an overview of recent activities of the far right in Russia (2004–2006) and shows how formal organisations of the far right interact with skinhead subcultures and local communities. It argues that government actions have facilitated an increase in recent far-right militancy (2004–2006) in Russia: the authorities have provided the far-right with political opportunities that their organisations use to coordinate further actions, recruit new members and gain visibility.     

Psycho-Sociological Barriers to Citizen Participation in Local Governance. The Case of Some Rural Communities in Romania

This article focuses on the identification of three types of citizens' participation in local governance: 1) Primary participation (by paying taxes and other contributions), 2) secondary participation (at the level of being informed about the actions of local government) and 3) tertiary participation (at the level of local interest decision-making). Various inquiries carried out within a number of rural communities in Romania are presented in order to highlight certain psycho-sociological barriers that prevent participation. These barriers can range from citizens' simple indifference all the way to the fear inculcated during the communist regime. However, one might assume that such barriers would disappear in the context of Romania's genuine integration into European development projects.     

Childhood Victimization and its Impact on Coping Behaviors for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

This study explores patterns of victimization and coping in a conservative Christian denomination. Four types of coping behaviors are identified: informal coping, professional help-seeking, negative coping and crisis outreach. While religious behaviors are less influential than expected for this particular population, current victimization and childhood victimization play a significant role in establishing a model of coping and help-seeking for intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors in faith communities. Childhood victimization acts as an aggravating factor, predicting negative coping with IPV. At the same time, childhood victimization significantly increases the likelihood of seeking professional help. The study adds to the body of knowledge by contributing to a better understanding of the impact of childhood victimization on coping and help-seeking.