The main focus of Ewa Kocój’s research has become a tale of an immured woman and Master Manole – popular in Romania but also found in many regions of Central-Eastern and Southern Europe. The present analysis was inspired by the author’s field research conducted in the Curtea de Argeș monastery, where she has observed the existence of two realities of ideas connected to that space, in which two women’s devotion constitutes the canvas for the archaic beliefs about the immured wife of Master Manole, which the members of the local community still recount to this day. The author was able to prove that this tale confirms the universal character of the consciousness construct, which sustains the timeless phenomenon of the inner spiritual transformation with the help of symbols. The present monograph showcases a great deal of knowledge supported by very important empirical experience, which is the result of a few decades of field research in many parts of Romania. The research activity of the anthropologist allowed her to familiarise herself with the observed individuals; understand their mentality; explain the meanings which they assign to the reality surrounding them. The author shares this experience with readers in a communicative manner, filling a knowledge gap about this country.
dr hab. Eugeniusz Kłosek, prof. UWr.