“Cosmic Christianity”: Romanian Immigrants and Cultural Layers of Their Religious System
摘要
The expression “cosmic Christianity” belongs to the well-known scholar Mircea Eliade, and it quickly became widely used since it gives a catchy name to a cultural phenomenon that was possible, among other contextual aspects, thanks to Orthodox inclusiveness. Instead of banishing pre-Christian beliefs, the Romanian Orthodox Church proved tolerant over the centuries and rather ignored or re-interpreted cultural practices. This resulted in a heterogeneous imaginary that can be traced even nowadays, in the demeanour of Romanian immigrants. The chapter argues that this very mixture of convictions is successful in providing psychological support for all the challenges brought by leaving native land. Qualitative research is based on interviews recorded between 2015 and 2024, mostly with Romanians from Italy, but also with informants who made Greece, Spain, and Belgium their host countries. Collected data is compared with the beliefs and practices of subjects that stayed in their home country, in order to notice cognitive dynamics. The chapter uses a national and international context to underline the spiritual mind set triggered by migration.