The representation of Germanness in Transylvania during the 1920: the microcosmos of a Brașov-based philo-German

The study aims to capture the Transylvanian Romanians’ image of the German, the Austrian, and Germanness, during the period when Transylvania moved from an imperial to a national/post-imperial state structure; a process generated by the political changes after 1918. If the status of Romanians within the Austro-Hungarian Empire was one of assimilation with those nationalities living throughout the monarchy and defined by their minority character, then after the political-social turn which occurred following the Great Union and the incorporation of Transylvania into the structures of Greater Romania, their role changed and they became the majority within the new statehood. The research question which we formulated is as follows: How did Romanians imagine the German who was near (Saxon) and far (Prussia), the Austrian, and Germanness in the years after the Great War? In order to answer this question we will analyse the memoirs of Sextil Pușcariu, one of the most important Romanian intellectuals, who had no hesitation in expressing his pro-German perceptions. Although he was subjective, he offers a critical and detailed analysis of the society, rendering several images of Germanness.