Romanian exiles and cultural crossroads in Argentina during the Cold War

Abstract

Concepts such as exile, migration and acculturation point to some of the most ancient and ever-present phenomena in humanity, although the reasons have varied, ranging from socio-political and economic to more personal ones. Undoubtedly, beyond the places of origin, crossings and lands of adoption, the trajectory of an exile is neither unitary nor stable, because it involves experiencing different historical, political, linguistic and cultural contexts, subject to continuous hybridization and adaptation.

This research aims to illustrate a brief overview of communism in Romania and the stages of Romanian exile during the Cold War. Our analysis explores the cultural importance of two of the most prominent intellectuals who chose the Argentinean territory for their political exile, literary creation, cultural and educational activity in the second half of the 20 th century: the linguist Dumitru Găzdaru -from 1946 until his death in 1991- and the renowned Vintilă Horia -between 1948 and 1953- before settling permanently in Spain, where he died in 1992.

Their complex but distinct identities, their eagerness to establish and collaborate in journals and institutions of great cultural stature, the relationship they maintain between their own language and others, and also the valuable studies of romanistics and hispanism they published all over the world, bear witness to their high level of research.