The role of identity in the 2015 Romanian shepherd protests

ABSTRACT

Shepherds have a particular place in the history and culture of Romania. For centuries they have had rights to graze their sheep in public pastures and manage their flocks using traditional methods. Changes at the national and European level have threatened this way of life and provoked protest, most recently in December 2015 over plans to limit sheepdog numbers and restrict winter grazing rights. This article draws on interviews with participating and non-participating shepherds to examine the motivations behind the protest action and its relation to their position in contemporary society. The findings suggest how marginalised groups in society are able to draw on folk histories and cultural identities in the formulation of contentious politics in defence of their interests. The post-communist setting of the protests also highlights the persistence of traditional practices during a period of social and political upheaval.

KEYWORDS:

• Shepherds
• protest
• Romania
• hunting
• identity
• transhumance

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the interviewees for generously sharing their time and experience. Ronan Paddison, Duncan Light and Petra Mäkelä provided comments on earlier versions of the manuscript that helped strengthen the article. The article also benefited greatly from robust and detailed comments from the reviewers and editorial team.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Quoting the Romanian Minister of Agriculture, Constantin (2005, 93) identifies transhumance as ‘An extensive system of production, economically efficient, and practiced by herders who own livestock of 500–2000 heads ….Transhumance is the movement of ovine herds, followed by a few mules, goats, horses, and cows, which travel in summer to highland pastures, and in winter to lowland regions, meadows, and pastures, placed often hundreds of kilometres away.’