The totalitarian catholic identity of the Csángós in Moldavia

Abstract

This article explores the social construction of the Catholic religious identity within the Csángó community from the Moldavia region. A challenging endeavour, the origins of the Csangos are shrouded in mystery due to their ambiguous history and their unacknowledged ethnic minority status. Emphasizing on the concept of memory and the imperative of continuity, the article reveals the unchallenged religious memory of this community. The authoritative tradition of the Catholic church is uncontested, the respondents being Catholics above all. What is more, the religious identity is pervading every sphere of their identification process, its clash with the ethnic dimension being analyzed in detail.