AROMANIANS AND THE RELOCATION OF IDENTITY IN THE 20TH CENTURY

Abstract

The Aromanians are the historical proof of a millenary Latin continuity
within the Balkan Peninsula in spite of Slavonian, Greek and Albanian strong
influences and some political, social, cultural hindrances they were subjected to, by
the governments of the Balkan states they used to live in. The name itself of
Aromanian confirms the Latin origin of this Balkan population [1]. The name of
Vlachs, as they are also known, makes them become closer to Dacoromanians, the
latter being also called Wallachians. Concerning this aspect, the Romanian state
went through cultural and political involvement, south of the Danube, starting
with the second half of the 19th century. This way, it was possible to see to the
opening of 113 schools and high schools that functioned in Balkan states and that
facilitated the contact with Romanian literature and implicitly with values from
Romanian culture [2]. Starting with the second half of the 19th century, the history
and existence of South-Danube Romanians turned into a research subject, a
controversial one between ethnographers, historians and linguists. They will travel
in this European area, bringing us some particular narrations. The life of South
Danube Romanians, under all its aspects, remained at the center of Occidental
historiography and also at the center of Romanian historiography.