National Institute for the Study of Totalitarianism
The National Institute for the Study of Totalitarianism (NIST) is a publicly financed research unit of the Romanian Academy, located in Bucharest
NIST was founded by former political prisoner and archaeologist Radu Ciuceanu and scholar Octavian Roske on April 13, 1993. It is the oldest Romanian institute in the totalitarian and authoritarian studies field.
NIST is a leading center in the research of forms and manifestations of totalitarianism (fascism and communism) and post-totalitarianism in Romania and the world, Cold War history and the study of authoritarianism in interwar up to recent history.
NIST comprises a research department, editorial compartment, library, photographic archive, administration and finance.
There are two research centres within the NIST: the Centre of Russian and Soviet Studies „Florin Constantiniu” since 2007, and the Centre for the Study of Totalitarian Ideologies „Hannah Arendt” since 2022.
NIST carries out and promotes interdisciplinary research. Its results are presented in monographs, studies, and national and international conferences.
NIST publishes books in special collections („Biographies”, „Debates”, „Documents”, „Dictionaries”, „Encyclopaedias”, „Memoirs”, „Synthesis”, „Studies”) and edits the academic quarterly „Totalitarianism Archives”.
The main NIST research project is „Romania 1945-1989. An Encyclopedia of the Communist Regime”, divided into several sections: repression, anti-communist resistance, history of the Romanian Communist party and the state. In addition, NIST carries out research projects on fascism and communism during interwar, Cold War studies, Gulag and the Holocaust. NIST encourages European scientific dialogues and promotes a collaborative European memory culture in cooperation with representative international institutions.