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ELATIONS BETWEEN TRANSYLVANIA AND THE NORDIC COUNTRIES IN THE 19THCENTURY AS SEEN IN ROMANIAN PERIODICALS. A QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

 

Mihaela Mehedinti

 

Babes-Bolyai University, Romania, E-mail: mihaela_mehedinti@yahoo.com

 

Acknowledgments

This paper has been presented at the Second International Conference on Nordic and Baltic Studies in Romania:Black Sea and Baltic Sea Regions: Confluences, influences and crosscurrents in the modern and contemporary ages hosted by the Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies, Târgoviste, May 20-22, 2011. The research for this paper has been facilitated by the programme Investing in people!  Ph.D. scholarship, Project co-financed by the Sectoral Operational Program For Human Resources Development 2007 – 2013. Priority Axis 1. "Education and training in support for growth and development of a knowledge based society" Key area of intervention 1.5: Doctoral and post-doctoral programs in support of research. Contract nr.: POSDRU/88/1.5/S/60185 – “Innovative Doctoral Studies in a Knowledge Based Society” , Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

 

 

Abstract:

History usually demonstrates that if two areas are remote they tend not to be in contact so often. At a first glance this seems to be the case of 19th century Transylvania’s connexions with the Nordic countries, but was this really the case? Or it is more likely that the relations between those two areas were not examined thoroughly enough until now? The present study aims at offering some answers to these important research questions by rendering a comprehensive image of the ways in which Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland were portrayed in three largely circulated Romanian periodicals from Transylvania. Based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the 623 pieces of news published by Foaie pentru minte, inima si literatura, Familia and Gazeta de Transilvania between 1838 and 1919 this paper shows that Transylvanians were rather well informed in what concerned the Nordic countries in the 19^th century, that they positively appreciated the literary works that stemmed from this area and that they strongly positioned the Nordic countries within Europe.

 

Rezumat:

Istoria demonstreaza ca, de obicei în cazul în care doua zone sunt îndepartate, ele tind sa nu fie în contact atât de des. La o prima vedere acesta pare a fi cazul conexiunilor din secolul al XIX-lea ale Transilvaniei cu tarile nordice, dar a fost, într-adevar, acesta cazul?Sau este mai probabil ca relatiile dintre cele doua arii sa nu fi fost destul de atent examinate pâna acum?Studiul de fata îsi propune sa ofere câteva raspunsuri la aceste întrebari de cercetare importante, facând o imagine cuprinzatoare a modului în care Suedia, Danemarca, Norvegia si Finlanda au fost prezentate în trei periodice românesti de mare circulatie din Transilvania. Bazate pe analiza cantitativa si calitativa a 623 de stiri publicate de catre „Foaie pentru minte, inima si literatura”, „Familia” si „Gazeta de Transilvania” între anii 1838 si 1919, acest articol arata ca ardelenii au fost destul de bine informati în ceea ce priveste tarile nordice în secolul al XIX-lea, ca au apreciat pozitiv operele literare provenite din aceasta zona si ca integrau cu fermitate tarile nordice în interiorul Europei.

 

Keywords: Nordic countries, Transylvania, Romanian periodicals, quantitative and quantitative analysis, 19th century

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