In the anthropological literature of east-central Europe there are two salient themes in recent decades: the reemergence of nationalist politics in region during the past decades, and the revitalization of religious institutions and practices. With this volume Marc Roscoe Loustau makes significant contributions to both of these. The book offers a refreshing look at mainstream Catholic practices, and the author should be commended for his choice of subject. Even though approaching mainstream religion is not always an easy exercise, it is well justified not to focus only on exotic fringe movements but engaging with the central forces of religious revival.
Loustau is both a theologian and an anthropologist. An American Unitarian Universalist, he carried out long term fieldwork in the Ciuc Basin (Csíki-medence). This is a region in central Romania inhabited by Roman Catholic Szeklers, a Hungarian-speaking ethnic group of Transylvania. The period of his fieldwork (2009–12, returning for subsequent shorter visits in 2016 and 2018) coincided with the consolidation of the right-wing populist regime of Orbán Viktor in neighboring Hungary, which nurtures close connections with the population of this region via ethno-national and religious ties. While high level Hungarian politicians regularly attend the annual pilgrimage to the Virgin Marry shrine at Csíksomlyó at the core of this region, this book is focused more on the everyday. Its main protagonists are local intellectuals with an “apostolic” mission, engaged in ethical and intellectual education of the rural populace in Transylvania.
The book is divided into an introduction, five core chapters, conclusions, and an epilogue. Each of the core chapter bears the label of an “ethical virtue” central to the pedagogical mission of Catholic intellectuals and the narration unfolds on consecutive settings of educational practice. In Ch. 2, the analysis delves into the exploration of the Transylvanian School Journal, which was established during the 1930s. It presents the concept of vocation as laid out by the founding fathers (Áron Márton, Pál Péter Domokos and József Venczel) and their plans for a new ethnic minority educational system (dormitories and choirs) designed to promote ethical community and ethnic consciousness among the Hungarian minority in Romania. The historical overview of this chapter also sets the frame for discussions of the subsequent chapters, leading the reader in analysis from interwar beginnings through the post-WWII period of the socialist regime, up to the ethnographical present.
Ch. 3 enters substantive ethnographical analysis focusing on the virtue of love. Loustau scrutinizes the impact of Hungarian volunteers from Hungary who engage in activities within Catholic orphanages, present day successors to the dormitories Catholic theologians envisioned during the interwar period. This examination revolves around the orphanages’ influence on the ethnic identities of both the orphans and the benefactors involved.
Moving to Ch. 4, the ethnography is drawn from the author's personal involvement in a volunteer choir at the Csíksomlyó shrine. Under the heading of the virtue of composition, this chapter highlights the local understanding of liturgical performance as virtuous singing. Ch. 5 delves into the intricate relationship between courtliness and the Knighthood Order of the Holy Crown. This particular order is dedicated to the reverence of King Stephen (975–1038), a Hungarian saint celebrated as founder of the Hungarian Kingdom and for converting his subjects to Christianity.
Finally, Ch. 6 shifts its attention to penitence. It undertakes an investigation into a priest's labor of moral recovery following his suspension from priesthood after two decades of service and institution building to set up an independent network of orphanages.
Each chapter adds fresh details to the intricacies of the field: it explores the endeavors of local Catholic intellectuals striving for the educational and moral enhancement of rural communities, as well as the broader engagement of middle-class spiritual enthusiasts from Hungary in the education of children from underprivileged families. While an overarching ethno-national context is distinctly outlined, a detail that is somewhat underemphasized in the otherwise comprehensive ethnographic portrayal is that a significant number of these children come from Romani backgrounds. Additionally, certain instances seem to place excessive emphasis on the theoretical and theological coherence and historical continuity of social practices, whereas a more pronounced critique of the social structures would enhance the overall analysis.
In the concluding chapter the author does not shy away from raising a critical voice. We are offered an account of his public intervention, including the subsequent repercussions, in an American Catholic journal on the eve of papal visit to Csíksomlyó in 2019. He criticized the involvement of religion in increasingly right-wing political practices and challenged fellow anthropologists to engage with mainstream audiences, since unless they do so an academic critique of Christian populist nationalism remains “a riskless and solipsistic endeavor” (203).
