Paper short abstract:

The past (given as history and “story”) of local universe is first of all a category producing behaviour, be produced by the behaviour and maintain division. These ideas are analyzed on the example of case study of the Romanian village Săpânţa, known for its historic "Merry Cemetery".

Paper long abstract:

The speech will discuss the problem of constructing local community around the past. The past it isn't the story given "straight" both the community and the stranger outside. The past is a category producing behaviour, be produced by the behaviour for maintain division as a form of integration. These ideas are demonstrated by analyzing the behaviour of citizens of the Romanian village Săpânţa, known for its "Merry Cemetery". Their community is divided on the dominant group of Orthodox believers and Greek-Catholic minority. "Merry Cemetery" was the idea of the Greek-Catholic priest G. Luţu and before 1945 belonged to the Greek Catholics, and it. As a result of pressure from the communist regime in Romania, there was a forced conversion to Orthodoxy and Greek Catholics deprived of their property, which is not recovered in Săpânţa during the political changes after the collapse of the Ceaucesu's regime. The current community of Orthodox feels as the heiress to the idea of "Merry Cemetery". They use story about cemetery as proof which legitimize their estates and it is the "product for sale" to tourists which generates a profit and element of building Orthodox community prestige. The Greek-Catholics use the past (story about Merry Cemetery) as an element in bringing together and constructing the category of "persecuted." The significant function of the past as "local history" is also complicates the situation of the anthropologist who is treated as "a witness to history" and as a pawn in a local game.