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Between History and Politics: The Romanian Historian and Revolutionist Nicolae Bălcescu (1819-1852) and his Unidentified Grave in Palermo

In this paper, the author analyzed the place of the 19th c. historian and revolutionist Nicolae Bălcescu in the Romanian political symbolism of the communist and post communist periods, trying to asses how his legacy was used in both cases for political purposes. It can be concluded that Bălcescu's emphasised place in Romanian communist symbolism significantly influenced his position in the national pantheon and even in Romanian historiography. In the post communist period, despite the attempt of several historians to deconstruct his myth, Bălcescu became again (or simply remained) a political symbol, "transforming" himself from a pre-marxist to a social democrat, as he was labeled by the center-left (in power between 1990-96 and 2000-04). Consequently, even Bălcescu's remains in an unidentified mass grave in Palermo were touched by his myth and misused for political purposes in both studied periods, unsuccessful attempts being made to discover and bring them to Romania. Therefore, now it is maybe time that Bălcescu rests there in pace, as a "bridge" between Romania and Italy, and not only or not anymore as a lost "lieu de mémoire" of the Romanian nation.

Nicolae Bălcescu; Romanian history; nineteenth century; Palermo; political symbolism; communist period; post communist period;

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