Book Review - CĂTĂLIN RAIU Public Governance and Religion. Key Historical Turns in Modern Romania (Bucharest: C.H. Beck, 2023), 193 pp.

The volume presents a critical analysis of how the Romanian Orthodox Church and other forms of institutionalized religious faith have defined themselves within the modern Romanian space (1860 to 1990s) in relation to the nature of political regimes, developing their own political visions, or participating in the formation of incipient indigenous forms of democratization. The volume is prefaced by Professor Daniel Barbu, whose text, published shortly before his untimely death (March 2024), describes Cătălin Raiu’s research as “beyond the prevalent methodological assumptions” and delving into a “scientifically uncharted territory” (VII).