Education
- B.S. in philosophy, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (1999)
- M.A. in cultural anthropology and European ethnology, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2001)
- M.A. in mass media and globalization, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2004)
- Ph.D. in philology, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2007)
- Ph.D. in anthropology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2018)
What's My Why?
My teaching philosophy emphasizes active student participation in learning. I foster a collaborative classroom where knowledge is built through dialogue, critical thinking and real-world engagement. At Salve, I align with its interdisciplinary focus to offer a transformative education. Using the Socratic method, I guide students to discover answers independently, encouraging critical analysis and personal connections to anthropological theories. This approach promotes comprehension, empowerment and ownership of learning.
Professional Experience
In addition to my role at Salve, I am an anthropologist dedicated to safeguarding the cultural heritage of rural communities in Romania and Ukraine. My work combines ethnographic research, visual anthropology and archival documentation to preserve and analyze traditional rituals, folk performances and oral histories. Through documentary film making and visual archives, I capture endangered cultural practices, ensuring their transmission to future generations. I have collaborated with local communities, heritage institutions and academic organizations to document and promote intangible cultural heritage. My research also examines how globalization and labor migration reshape rural traditions. Committed to public anthropology, I use visual storytelling to bridge academia and broader audiences, fostering awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity.
Media Coverage
June 2020, Balkan Insight, Spain
https://balkaninsight.com/2020/06/12/romanian-miners-bloody-rampage-goes-unpunished-30-years-on/
June 23, 2010, Adevarul Newspaper, Bucharest
http://www.adevarul.ro/actualitate/eveniment/Alin_Rus-antropolog-_Minerul_ajuns_doctor_in_Mineriade_0_285572001.html
February, 2008, Tribuna Journal, Cluj-Napoca
http://www.revistatribuna.ro/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/130.pdf
July, 2007, Observatorul Cultural Journal, Bucharest
http://www.observatorcultural.ro/Mineriadele-reprezinta-o-poveste-amara-despre-natura-umana.-Interviu-cu-Alin-RUS*articleID_17989-articles_details.html
Selected Publications
Alin Rus, The Instrumentalization of Cultural Heritage in Ceaușescu’s Romania, Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Vol 13 No 4, July 2024
Alin Rus, Rituals Plays in Moldova (Jocuri Rituale din Moldova), Bucharest, Humanitas, 2023
Alin Rus, The Globalization of Rural Play in the 21st Century, New York, Lexington, 2023
Alin Rus, Poetic Solutions For Environmental Pollution Caused by Human Bodies Disposal, in Adriana Teodorescu, (Eds.), Death within the Text, Cambridge, Cambridge Scholars, 2019
Alin Rus, Les mineriades dans la mémoire des mineurs, In Jérôme Heurtaux and Cédric Pellen (Eds.), 1989 à l’Est de l’Europe – Une mémoire controversée, L’aube, Paris, 2009