Prof Marius Turda’s public lecture on ‘Ethnic Stereotypes in Interwar Romania‘ delivered in Bucharest on 8 February 2026 is now available on YouTube:
In Search of the Perfect Romanian – podcast
In this podcast Marius Turda discusses his acclaimed book In Search of the Perfect Romanian (2026) with Ari Barbalat (Dialogues in Holocaust Studies and the Second World War).
This study investigates the discourse on the Romanian national identity and race spanning from the 1880s to the 1950s. Itasserts that in the early 1940s, anti-Semitism and anti-Roma racism were significant elements in the ethnic purification campaigns of the Ion Antonescu regime. The doctrines of racism and eugenics not only legitimized the deportation and extermination of Jews but also targeted the Roma. Consequently, the Holocaust in Romania should be interpreted as a result of both anti-Semitism and biopolitical nationalism. Finally, the book reveals that the eugenic ideal of the ‘perfect’ Romanian continued to exist after 1945, becoming part of the socialist vision of the ‘new man’ and the ‘ideal’ society that developed during the communist era.
In the Name of Eugenics: A Reappraisal (19 March 2026)
A one-day workshop hosted by the Centre for Medical Humanities, exploring the history and legacy of eugenics and commemorating Daniel Kevles’ major contribution to the field.
Poster
Programme
Royal Society’s Coverage of the Exhibition ‘We are not Alone’
Royal Society’s journal Notes and Records has published an overview of the exhibition ‘We are not Alone’.
Racializing the Roma
Marius Turda’s article on “The Racialization of Roma as ‘Black’ in Interwar Romania and Beyond’ has been published in Slavic Review, the journal of Association for Slavic, East European & Eurasian Studies.
The article is available on Open Access here:
The Exhibition’s Impact in the Roma Community in Sheffield
The exhibition was featured on Roma Cultural Awareness Day, organised on 12 November 2025 by Care for Young People’s Future and Welcoming Cultures UK in Sheffield.
With many thanks to Terezia Rostas.
Marius Turda’s Interview for História, Ciências, Saúde
Following the exhibition ‘s successful trip to Rio de Janeiro Marius was interviewed by Vivian Mannheimer for História, Ciências, Saúde – Manguinhos, a quarterly publication of the Casa de Oswaldo Cruz.
Read the interview here:
https://www.scielo.br/j/hcsm/a/k8jTRZBTWxbDGnKPXGGpLnG/?lang=en
On Disability and Eugenics
On 4 November 2025 Prof Marius Turda spoke about disability, eugenics and dehumanisation at the Wiener Holocaust Library in London. The talk as was held as part of the “Finding Ivy: a life worthy of life” exhibition.
