IDENTITATE, EDUCAȚIE ȘI INCLUZIUNE, pages: 99 - 122, 2026

The German Minority and the Romanian diaspora in Romanian-German Cultural Diplomacy

Doi: https://doi.org/10.58603/LXBQ7245

Rezumat: This article examines the role of the German minority in Romania and the Romanian diaspora in Germany in shaping Romanian–German cultural diplomacy. It integrates the analysis of these two communities within a common framework of societal cultural diplomacy, emphasizing the contribution of non-state actors to the consolidation of bilateral dialogue. Drawing on a qualitative methodology that combines documentary analysis with cultural discourse analysis, the study explores how transnational cultural capital, collective memory, and civic networks are mobilized within the relationship between the two national contexts. The comparative findings indicate that the German minority operates primarily through institutional continuity, heritage preservation, and educational infrastructure, whereas the Romanian diaspora acts through mobility, associative structures, and contextual adaptability. The article advances the concept of “community soft power” to capture forms of symbolic influence generated at the societal level and underscores the complementarity of these modes of action in sustaining the stability of Romanian–German cultural relations.