Modernity and its varities : a historical sociological analysis of the Romanian modern experience

Abstract

This study has a dual objective. On the one hand, it seeks to contribute to a more complex of understanding of modernisation and social change. In this respect, my casestudy of the Romanian experience with modernity might be of interest to scholars working in other fields, as the particularities of the Romanian case could have relevance for other Tater modernising countries’, i.e. those countries that did not take part in the emergence of Western modernity. On the other hand, the study attempts to contribute to a fuller understanding of the Romanian history of modernisation, in that it seeks to provide theoretically informed interpretations of its pattern of modernisation. It is claimed that particular experiences that are usually understood as non-modem should be interpreted as contributing to the overall modem experience in Romania. It should be noted that only in a more advanced stage of my research I was able to consult sources in the Romanian language, as I started out without any knowledge of Romanian. This also means that in some instances I have relied on translated sources.