Transylvanian Society of Dracula as a “Cultural Broker” in Romania

Romania has long had an uneasy relationship with Dracula. Bram Stoker’s novel established an enduring association between Transylvania and vampires in the Western popular imagination that has long been problematic for, and unwelcome in, Romania. Furthermore, the confusion between Count Dracula and Vlad the Impaler has also provoked hostility and indignation among many Romanians. Thus, there was tension and misunderstanding between external and Romanian perspectives on Dracula. This chapter examines the role of the Transylvanian Society of Dracula (founded in Romania in 1991) as a “culture broker,” which sought to bridge these different understandings of Dracula and reduce conflict between them. The Society’s activities started with running Dracula tours, but it also organized the First World Dracula Congress in 1995, along with further Congresses in 2000 and 2003, and a series of annual symposia. These events brought together scholars and enthusiasts to engage in dialogue and debate about Dracula. These events, in turn, stimulated the development of further academic conferences in Romania. After running for 25 years, the Romanian Transylvanian Society of Dracula was closed after the Fourth World Dracula Congress in 2016, but its legacy was the key role it had played in changing attitudes towards the Dracula phenomenon in Romania.