Perceptions of the Foreigner in the Romanian Collective Imagination

Abstract

The article explores the complexity of the concept of the stranger, as analyzed throughthe lens of prominent philosophers of language, theorists, and literary critics such asMartin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, Hans Gadamer, Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger,Emmanuel Levinas, Mikhail Bakhtin, Hermann Keyserling, Ivana Markova, amongothers. The authors distinguish between two fundamental types of representation ofthe stranger in literature: as „THEY” – viewed through the lens of nationality andethnicity – and as „YOU” – perceived as a living being capable of emotions andreflection. The study also examines how alterity is reflected in the collective mindset,often reduced to a fantasy of the malevolent, which generates unjustified prejudicesand clichés. Stereotypes about strangers are analyzed based on four main referencepoints: language, clothing, space (topos), and religious affiliation.The applied section of the research focuses on representations of the stranger inRomanian proverbs, which are seen as markers of the prejudices and perceptionsshaped through the historical experience of interethnic coexistence. Stereotypicalimages associated with various nationalities and ethnic groups – such as the Roma,Turks, Jews, Germans, and even Romanians – are analyzed from sociological andanthropological perspectives.