1

People - Environment Studies in Romania[1]

Corina Ilin

1 The People – Environment group which contributed to this study consists of Andrei Alexandrov, Laura Anghel, Delia Ceuca, Delia Ciotău, Ioana Unda Crişan, Anca Dăneasă, Adela Deaconu, Dragoş Dubină, Adina Dumitru, Ildiko Erdei, Claudia Fehrer, Delia Ilie, Florin Lobonţ, Anda Maier, Laurenţiu Maricuţoiu, Mihai Silvestru, Luminiţa Socaci, Sorina Voiculescu, Cătălina Zaborilă (along with the authors of this synthesis)

English translation by Aleksandra Maletici and Ana-Maria Sperneac

2

Corina Ilin

West University of Timişoara,Faculty of Sociology and Psychology,Psychology Departmentandthe Centre for Psychological Studies and Research from Timişoara, Romania,

e-mail: cilin@socio.uvt.ro

3

Summary

4

Keywords:

5

Sociological Research in Romania – People – Environment Studies

Sociological research in Romania, has a longer history and continuity than psychological research. That is why sociological research represents an important information source and it proves very useful for the environmental research as well.

The information they provide is represented by data collected from both

rural and urban environment.

Ever since the beginning of the century sociological testing has responded to the need of scientific knowledge of the Romanian society values, spirit and forms of manifestation.

6

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

Scientific sources of information that precede Environmental Psychology can be found at the crossing line between Psychology and Sociology. Sociological research is one of a great importance. Studies do not refer only to general, macro-social aspects, but, even in the past (for example V. Manuilă – study on the quality of live in the urban environment – 1939), and especially during the post communist era, they focused on particular spatial and psychological aspects, as well as on the relation between them, using qualitative methods as well.

7

Sociological Research in Romania – People – Environment Studies

The post communist period is still characterized by a great methodological diversity and mostly the usage of qualitative methods, but also by the improvement of some quantitative indicators. Another particularity of this period is the approach of research themes which have undergone censorship and self-censorship in the past.

8

Sociological Research in Romania – People – Environment Studies

Abraham (1991; 2000) presents the rich history of the Romanian sociological research in the twentieth century.

The first studies were rural monographs (on the agriculture situation) in administrative areas (counties), as the ones developed by Ion Ionescu and by Brad at the beginning of the century. After the phase of regional research, sociologists focused on community study. Regional social maps were being developed. This maps presented particular development patterns and they were meant to reflect the main social changes that the country underwent at a given time (Abraham, 2000).

9

Sociological Research in Romania – People – Environment Studies

The monographic method was perfected during the first four decades of the last century. The Bucharest Sociological School has conducted intense research of the rural community, especially between 1925 and 1935. By the end of the first decade and in the first years after the war, sociologists promoted the idea of overcoming the excessively descriptive approach. Thus, a shift appeared from studying a community to studying a key problem, an acute phenomena (for example: the depopulation of Banat; Grofşoreanu, Botiş, Nemoianu, 1938) or to comparative studies between villages (A. Golopenţia, 1939).

10

Sociological Research in Romania – People – Environment Studies

The publications of The Bucharest Sociological School, included in The Romanian Sociology Review and in the Archive, present studies which focused on:

migration towards the city, modernization of Romania’s rural areas Venturia Manuilă realized the first study on families in the urban area in 1939.

Poverty and family crisis in a peripheral neighborhood of Bucharest is also analyzed, emphasizing living in conditions of high population density.

In 1940 „The Sociologic Atlas of Romania” was initiated.

11

Sociological Research in Romania – People – Environment Studies

Sociologists’ research work continued in the communist period as well, but they encountered many difficulties because of the regime. Many sociologists were arrested and some of them, such as the case of Dimitrie Gusti, died in jail.

The 60s meant the development of the studies concerning the city, which mainly focused on determining the characteristics of the urban way of life as well as on the complex analysis of the local urbanization process, etc (Abraham, 1991).

The research of Cincinat Sfinţescu on territorial systematization has drawn the attention on Romania’s cities ever since 1929. From a geographical point of view, the study of the urban phenomena in between the two World Wars, emphasized the territorial mobility of the population (Mihăilescu,V., Tufescu,V.).

12

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

The books that were published in the communist period avoided subjects as:- demolition of historical buildings,- the discomfort of living in blocks,- isolation,- the reduced possibility of moving or traveling,- the lack of intimacy,- poverty. The books contained general theoretical aspects in a neutral or optimistic

approach, avoiding the subjects that would have led to the awareness of the disasters generated by the communist politics.

13

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

But to present only a partial image of the reality or to hide some truths is for sure not in the best interest of science. Studies do not focus on the psychological effects of the forced or abusive changes which led to the violation of human rights.

Professor’s Cucu V. book, entitled Geography and Urbanization (1976) is a study on the characteristics of the Romanian urban areas network in connection with the general urbanization evolution. It focuses on:- the living setting,- the recreation setting,- pollution,- the future of the city.

14

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

Between 1991-1994, within the Center of Urban and Regional Sociology (CURS), an annual research was initiated and it led to the publication of The Romanian Social Atlas.

Among other information, the Atlas also contains information related to the way of living, mentality, and values, etc. after 1989; rapid changes took place in the post-communist period. We could talk about a new social space or a new social structure. Although research made use of new and ingenious techniques, they were not able to offer a synthetic image.

Among the indicators that we are interested in (Abraham, 2000) we mention here:- professional mobility;- social marginalization or exclusion;- integration or participation in the development of the market economy.

15

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

These are the studies at a macro level. The information they bring represents a referential background for our research.

After 1989 we have hoped for extended publications on the themes that had been censored. Un-censored books written by Romanian authors have been published, but they did not have an immediate and powerful influence on social sciences right after 1989.This fact could find an explanation in the coexistence of self – censorship during the communist period. After many years of submission, Romanians must have left out of their conversations certain subjects. Maybe the identity of people has been affected after so many years of behavior duplicity according to the space: public or private. These are subjects of great importance and we must learn about them in order to produce a positive social change.

16

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

Studies from the post communist period reveal a society more preoccupied with daily survival issues than with ahead planning or including in their plans the quality of life or the concern for environmental protection.

17

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

We will refer now to some of the studies developed after 1989. I.Nicolau, I. Popescu - A random street from Bucharest, describe the social

changes that took place along the years on a street from Bucharest. The hypothesis were presented at the French-Romanian City Ethnology

Workshop. The book contains extended field investigations, interviews, architectural changes, changes in the quality of life as well as changes in people’s reference to property. This type of research, in which the investigator steps in the field in order to get closer to the reality he’s studying is more likely to present more accurately the way that people perceive reality. We may refer to poverty from the point of view of the statistics, but the particularities of the disadvantaged area have their own unique history.

18

Sociological Research in Romania – People – Environment Studies

Ogrezeanu has published an article on the slums of Bucharest – The Slums of Bucharest – a pace of Urban Change) Romanian Journal of Society and Politics, Vol. 2, Nr.1, May 2002.

The Romanian term “Mahler” has a different meaning than the English word Slums. If we analyze the evolution of this term (term that is related to the space) across the years we will see that it grew on a deprecating meaning. Its initial meaning was referring to a peripheral area of the city. It is a study about urban change in the last century, a reconstruction of the history of the social transformation. The examination focuses on the locals’ attitudes towards the cultural and the symbolic slum.

19

Sociological Research in Romania – People – Environment Studies

Another important study of urban ethnology has been published by V. Mihăilescu in The Social Research Review. This article presents a small scale analysis on the standardization and systematization of the urban living space. It is the space of the block of flats, where individuals, forced by the context to leave in community, develop social networks or differentiation behaviors. The study presents the importance of territoriality in the Communist period.

20

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

RESEARCH INSTITUTE REGARDING LIFE QUALITY was set up in 1990 by the Romanian Academy and the National Institute of Economic Research.

Due to the research activities and to the achieved results, the institute reached public awareness.

Starting 1990, the institute publishes The Diagnosis of Life Quality in Romania annualy and makes the evaluation of social policies adopted in our country during the transition.

It investigates and offers alternative solutions for the main socio-economical problems of nowadays Romania, by doing some empirical research, on national, local or district samples.

It edits books, studies, journals, booklets, research reports and offers counselling activity in the field.

21

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

The institute’s research activities are structured on five main dimensions, as follows:1. the quality of life,2. social policies,3. disadvantaged groups,4. human and communality development,5. inter-ethnical relations, social values.

1. Life quality – regards observing the main dimensions of life quality in nowadays Romania.

2. Social policies – regard the way that social policy projects elaborated in Romania reach the European Integration criteria and the requires concerning the economic reform in Romania.

22

Sociological Research in Romania – People – Environment Studies

3. Disadvantaged groups – it is an investigation of the socio-economic issues concerning disfavoured groups, elder people and gipsies.4. Human and communality development – studies the evolution regarding the communality development field from our country. It supervises the evolution of the population perceptions regarding the quality of social and public local services.5. Inter-ethnical relations – analyses some qualitative dimensions of the inter-ethnical relations; it observes the way people obey the human rights and the public liberties in Romania; analyses the changes happened during transition, and regarding mentalities, and perceptions of different social categories living in Romania, as well as citizens’ rights and liberties.

23

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

6. Social values – analyses the population values which are fundamental for the functioning of the society as a whole. On one hand, RILQ is the Romanian partner of the European Values Survey, as it is implied in general social values research of the Romanians, from a comparative point of view to the rest of the Europeans. On the other hand, RILQ is being interested in values concerning the democratic system. In present, the institute is working on another important comparative study on democracy values regarding the European countries, set up by RILQ in Romania, in 2001.

24

Sociological Research in Romania: People – Environment Studies

The Institute regarding Life Quality is also working on a Ph D program concerned with social policies - in partnership with The University of Bucharest.

Ever since the foundation year, the Institute regarding Life Quality Research

edits The Journal of Life Quality – Journal of Social Policies every three months, along with the series of research reports entitled „Social Policies” and „Life Quality”. Many well known books have come out under the aegis of some research groups belonging to ILQ.

There can be found a Research Centre regarding the social policies and the life

quality field, as well as a specialized library. There can be also found a socio-economical and sociological data base very

well technically equipped for data and information analysis, processing, presentation and communication.

25

CSCPT - Centre for Psychological Studies and Research - is a scientific research unit of high performance in the field of psychology for the research of social behavior.

The main aims of the CSCPT are: fundamental and applicative research in the field of psychology, and training specialists in the field of applied psychology.

The department also aims to contribute to the Western Romanian area development, playing an active role in the reciprocal transfer of knowledge between the Faculty of Sociology and Psychology and diverse organizations, local, regional, national and international institutions through fundamental and applicative research.

26

We could mention here some of the research themes that our Environmental group is working on.

Psychology research unit is interested in: - pollution caused by industrialization, - overexploitation of resources, - authorities’ disregard towards the citizen - citizen mutual lack of trust (with repercussions on the environment and

on the reference to the public wealth), - effects of migration, - territorial immobility, - commutation.

27

Psychology research unit is interested in: - the poor quality of life in the city, - the canyon phenomena, - pollution due to traffic, - the destruction of green spaces, - the abuse of public domain, - the narrow living space, - lack of intimacy,

- buildings demolition- psychological effects of nationalization

28

I. This is what our group can doI. Changes regarding space, the way it is perceived and transformed, during the recent history of the ex-communist Eastern Europe countries.

The main direction: Environmental Psychology and totalitarianism. Changes regarding physical, social (institutional and organizational, in particular), ambient, architectural, geographical environment and the way one relates to these aspects, the relations between them, the human behaviour and the experience of relating to these environments during totalitarianism.Psychologically speaking, we should take into account a certain division into periods, according to the social changes. We can speak about major social changes: the one before 1947, the period before 1990 and the period after 1990. We will also take into account the issue of the environment’s present and future in Romania, of the human made changes and of the environment’s effects upon human psychic.

29

II. Our group would like to have an activity focused on a social (regarding social applicability and utility) objective, that is why we considered the following directions (the themes of these major directions) as being of great interest for us, on short and medium term:

Mentality research regarding relating to the others ( who are similar or represent the authority), a considerable part coming out of this is considered to be the relating to the environment. We consider that the way we relate to the environment can be explained by:1. the way we relate to other people (public area – private area)2. the way we relate to the nature and to the resources. All these are based on implicit and explicit social norms which belong to the tradition or to historical evolutions

Mentality research regarding oneself and existence and the consequences upon the relations with the environment.

30

III. Pro-environmental education

We would like to point out some aspects of great social interest:- natural disasters and the way the Romanians relate to these;- industrialisation effects; - volunteers and children; - information regarding social aspects for the society, the scientific

community, media, NGOs.

31

ABOUT US

Mission

Objective

Direction of action

The research member

32

MISSION

Setting up an Environmental Psychology excellency centre in Timişoara

33

OBJECTIVES

- the facilitation of communication among the experts concerned of the relation between people and their physical environment

- stimulating the research and inovation considering the development of life conditions

- promoting the integration of research, education, politics and practice in the environmental domain

34

ACTIVITY

RESEARCH The consequences of the communist system Living places – flats

Public area vs. private area Living area The attachment to the place

The effects of the industrialization – case studies The city

Human needs in architecture Homeless children

The cognitive map

Pro-environmental attitudes Attitude towards disaster

35

WHO WE ARE

24 persons

teaching staff from West University of Timişoara

students from Psychology and Architecture

external assistants

36

The members of the research team concerning the relation between people and the environment

Andrei AlexandrovPsiholog, cercetător asociat, Centrul de Studii şi Cercetări Psihologice din Timişoara Laura AnghelPsiholog, cercetător asociat, Centrul de Studii şi Cercetări Psihologice din Timişoara Zoltan Bogathyprofesor universitar doctor, Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, Centrul de Studii şi Cercetări Psihologice din Timişoara –

director Delia CeucaAbsolvent 2003, Psihologie, Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara Delia Ciotăuasistent universitar doctorand, Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, Catedra de Psihologie Ioana Unda CrişanPsiholog, cercetător asociat, Centrul de Studii şi Cercetări Psihologice din TimişoaraAnca DăneasăAbsolvent 2003, Psihologie, Universitatea de Vest din TimişoaraAdela DeaconuAbsolvent 2003, Psihologie, Universitatea de Vest din TimişoaraDragoş DubinăPsiholog, cercetător asociat Centrul de Studii şi Cercetări Psihologice din TimişoaraAdina DumitruPreparator universitar suplinitor, Psihologie, Universitatea de Vest din TimişoaraIldiko ErdeiPsiholog, cercetător asociat Centrul de Studii şi Cercetări Psihologice din Timişoara

37

Claudia FeherAbsolventă 2003, Psihologie, Universitatea de Vest din TimişoaraDelia IlieLector universitar doctor, Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, Catedra de SociologieAndreea Ionescupreparator universitar, Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, Catedra de PsihologieCorina IlinLector universitar, Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, Centrul de Studii şi Cercetări Psihologice din Timişoara -

coordonator grup cercetare p-eFlorin LobonţResearch Fellow, Royal Holloway, History Department, University of London, Cercetător asociat Centrul de Studii şi

Cercetări Psihologice din TimişoaraAnda MaierStudentă anul VI, Arhitectură, Universitatea "Politehnica" din TimişoaraLaurenţiu MaricuţoiuPsiholog, cercetător asociat, Centrul de Studii şi Cercetări Psihologice din TimişoaraRaluca PautaStudent anul II, Arhitectură, Universitatea "Politehnica" din TimişoaraMihai SilvestruStudent anul VI, Arhitectură, Universitatea "Politehnica" din TimişoaraLuminiţa SocaciStudentă anul IV, Psihologie, Universitatea de Vest din TimişoaraMircea VoiculescuLector universitar doctor, Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, Catedra de GeografieSorina VoiculescuLector universitar doctor, Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, Catedra de GeografieCătălina ZaborilăPreparator universitar doctorand, Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, Centrul de Studii şi Cercetări Psihologice din

Timişoara

38

THINGS WE MADE

EXTERNAL International co-operations – IAPS

Synthesis: People – Environment Studies in Romania

INTERNALIntra and inter university partnerships

The psychological map of TimişoaraThe first Environmental Psychology Course in Romania Published articlesEvents

39

International co-operations

IAPS (International Association for People-Environment Studies)

IAPS stands for the International Association of the Scientists, researchers and practitioners from the social and environmental domain concerned with different views of the relation between the individuals and their physical, social,

cultural, ambient, architectural environment.

40

Synthesis: People - Environment Studies in Romania

This synthesis has offered us the chance to work together as well as has given us the opportunity to discover quite interesting aspects concerning our specialization; it also has allowed us to get closer to this research direction and to reflect upon our future connected to it, and most important, has given us the belief that we can have an European future together.

41

Environmental Psychology Course

Connected to the syllabus regarding Environmental Psychology course,

2003 – 2004, lecturer Corina Ilin

42

RESULTS – students’ papers

Andrei Alexandrov - Public place vs. private place during the communism in Romania

Laura Anghel - Interpersonal influence techniques – an alternative to introducing the recycling behavior

Adela Deaconu – Stereotype and attitude towards the environmentAnca Dăneasă – The history and the relations between Environmental

Psychology and other disciplinesClaudia Feher – The consequences of industrialization in Romania – case

study: “Aurul Baia Mare”Laurenţiu Maricuţoiu – Methodological distance in Environmental

PsychologyLuminiţa Socaci - Favourite places, stimulative environments and the

attitude towards the environment

43

Finished graduation papers – 2003

Andrei AlexandrovTHE MANAGEMENT OF SELF FRONTIERS

Behaviors and psychological functions in adjusting intimacy

Luminiţa Socaci FAVOURITE PLACES – STIMULATIVE

ENVIRONMENTS AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT

Delia Ceuca

CHANGES REGARDING LIVING IN THE URBAN AREA OF TIMIŞOARA

44

Finished graduation papers - 2004

Ioana IonescuAttachment regarding the urbane environment of Timişoara

Iulia Trif The psychological map and behavioral topos regarding the

Students’ Campus of Timişoara

45

EVENTS

1. Tuesday, February, 4th 2003, guest: lecturer dr. Sorina Voiculescu, The Geography Department, WUT

2. Thursday, February 27th 2003, at CSCPT – E-P group meeting, discussion on planning the synthesis

3. Friday, March 28th, at CSCPT, guest: lecturer dr. Delia Ilie, The Sociology Department, WUT, presenting her PhD thesis entitled Sacred symbols of the living area

4. Thursday, May 8th 2003, at CSCPT, guest: Architecture student, Cosmin Rusu – Project presentation regarding the railway-station arrangement - Arad

5. Thursday, May, 22nd 2003, at CSCPT, guest: proff. Sebastian Jucu – Presentation on the cultural landscape of Lugoj

6. Wednesday, June 11th 2003, Luminiţa Socaci and Andrei Alexandrov, both of them students, presented the preview of their graduation papers

46

7. Friday, June 27th, at CSCPT, Quartieri spagnoli vs. centro direzionale – impressions from Napoli – Raluca Paută, second year student at Architecture

8. Friday, October 31st 2003, at CSCPT, guest: Dr. Radu Radoslav, chief-architect of Timişoara

9. November 7th, at CSCPT – workshop preparation 10. Environmental Psychology workshop as part of the event entitled

“Timişoara’s Psychology Days”, 14th – 15th of November 2003 11. Environmental Psychology workshop as part of students’ workshop and

communication session entitled “Myth and Psychology”, 24th – 25th of April 2004

12. Environmental Psychology workshop entitled “Metropolitan sexuality and contemporary urban myth

47

GRANT 2003 UNDER ARTICLE A – 3022

OF THE GENERAL BUGET OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Support for European integration activities organised by the academic word

RO – 3 - 2003 – 3477 / 001 - 001 CEN - CENRE

A Young Researchers’ view of Romanian Steps towards EU Integration:

Analyzing Pro-Environmental and Anti-Corruption Policies

48

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?

EXCELLENCY CENTRE

RESEARCH

PUBLICATIONS

COURSES

UNIVERSITY POST GRADUATE PROGRAM STUDY

49

Research themes, 2003 - 2008THE TOWN

1. Timişoara: history, present and futureTimişoara’s survivable capacityLost and found celebrations (The celebration in Mehala, the “Kirvai”; Street Festivals; The Beer Festival)

2.Timişoara: the chartiers and their issueThe historyThe streetThe market placeThe school of the chartierThe sportsgroundsThe playgroundsThe fountainsThe culture of the chartierPublic area vs. private areaThe house; the block of flats; the living areaThe “Lenau phenomenon” in Timişoara

50

3. Urban behavior vs. urban customs

The identity of being a citizen

Ruralization

Consumers behavior of the citizens of Timişoara

The urban behavior of the foreigners

4. Other aspects

The cognitive map

Homeless children

51

We are working on:

The university post graduate program

The Environmental Psychology volume

The Environmental Psychology university course