Evangelicals in interwar Romania were a vibrant mix of ethnicities languages and social
statuses. Jews Roma Germans Hungarians Serbs Ukrainians and Russians sang prayed and
preached in their native languages. Romanian statesmen perceived them as a danger for the
construction of a strong post-WWI national identity. The lived religion of interwar Romanian
evangelicals and their struggle through music for legitimacy demonstrates the close ties
between national self-understanding and religion. The diverse groups of Romanian evangelicals
reveal how minorities in 20th century Europe challenged established religious concepts and
constructed their new identities. "Finally a book on Romanian history that unpacks the day
to day experiences of ordinary people and how they built churches and communities. Ploscariu
tells her stories through the voices and experiences of individuals from ethnic and religious
minorities showing us how they saw their world not just what the authorities thought about
them. This book complicates Romanian religious history in wonderful and surprising ways. It
will be the definitive work on the subject for many years to come." Roland Clark University
of Liverpool Author of Sectarianism and Renewal in 1920s Romania "Drawing on a diverse
range of often untapped sources Iemima Ploscariu's exploration of the history of evangelicals
in interwar Romania brings vividly to life the experiences of a multiethnic community defined
by their faith. She explores how through their everyday practices - most notably their active
musical life - these groups both contested the homogenizing nationalization policies of the
Romanian state and carved out a place for themselves in Romanian society. This book contributes
significantly to our understanding of the social and religious history of interwar Romania and
to the transnational evangelical expansion of the era." Heather Coleman University of
Alberta Author of Russian Baptists and Spiritual Revolution 1905-1929 "Here is a
masterful reconstruction of the everyday life of evangelical communities in interwar Romania
and their members' intricate personal relationships. This excellent study is a must-read for
any scholar of nationalism who wants to understand how diverse religious and ethnic minorities
struggled and thrived in a nationalising European state." Maria Falina Utrecht University
Author of Religion and Politics in Interwar Yugoslavia
