Historical Stages

The “Alexandru Philippide” Institute of Romanian Philology was founded in 1927 (as part of the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy, the “ Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaşi) as a result of the endeavour of Professor G. Pascu and Professor A. Philippide. The Institute has borne Philippide’s name (since 6 December 1933), on the death of the outstanding linguist. The first directors of the institution were G. Pascu (1927-1932) and Iorgu Iordan (1932-1948).

The activity of philological research specific of this Institute was interrupted in 1948 and resumed in 1950, in the section of Linguistics and Literary history from the Institute of History and Philology. The scholars who were heads of the sections, Gavril Istrate and N. I. Popa, together with N. Bagdasar, Al. Claudian, Al. Dima, G. Ivănescu, Şt. Cuciureanu, initiated and coordinated research in the history of the Romanian literary language, dialectology, literary history and theory. In 1963, the name of the philology section became The Center for Linguistics, Literary History and Folkore of the Iaşi Branch of the Romanian Academy, managed up to 1966 by Professor Al. Dima, Correpondent Member of the Romanian Academy, and then by the researchers N. A. Ursu, PhD (1968-1970), and Alexandru Teodorescu, PhD (1970-1975). During this period the research activity was subject to reorgani z ation and to this today it has relied, on several fundamental projects and disciplines (lexicography, dialectology, toponimy, the history of the Romanian literary language, literary history, ethnography and foklore), according to the projects of the similar institutes from Bucharest and Cluj. Between 1974 and 1990, the Center was subordinated to the Romanian Ministry of Education and Learning and it became part of the Faculty of Philology of “ Al.I. Cuza” University; the deans were also directors of the Center: Professor Vasile Arvinte, PhD (1975-1976), Professor Silvia Buţureanu, PhD (1976-1984) and Professor Al. Andriescu, PhD (1984-1990). Between 1976 and 1984, the position of deputy director belonged to senior researcher Stelian Dumistrăcel, PhD. Since 3rd March 1990, the Institute has returned to the research field of the Romanian Academy, under the present-day name. Directors : Professor Dan Mănucă, PhD (1990-2009), Professor Eugen Munteanu, PhD (2009-2013), Associate Professor Bogdan Creţu, PhD (since December 2013). From 1963 to 1974, the activity of The Center for Linguistics, Literary History and Folklore was housed in the building erected by Mihail Kogălniceanu i n 1842 which, later, became Mihail Sadoveanu’s property (1918-1950) (today it is The Mihail Sadoveanu Memorial House); since 1975, The Center has been housed in the building erected by Gheorghe Asachi between 1830 and 1835, where he lived and died (1869). In 1975, a new building was added to the old house and now it includes the offices of several other institutes of the Romanian Academy.

The researchers in the specialized departments of the Institute work on fundamental projects for the Romanian culture in the following fields: lexicography (DLR and DGLR), dialectology (NALR–MB), toponimy (TTRM), ethnography and folklore (AFMB). Besides these fundamental projects of the Romanian Academy, the researchers have published more than 100 volumes of monographs, many studies and articles, tens of editions of literary, critical or linguistic works, more than one thousand articles and studies gathered in collective volumes and in journals from Romania and from abroad, hundreds of academic papers delivered at national and international congresses, conferences and symposia, national and international projects, doctoral theses; prizes of the Romanian Academy and other prestigious literary prizes are marks of a rich and varied scholarly and cultural activity.