Anton Golopenția

Anton Golopenția (May 12, 1909 – September 9, 1951) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian sociologist.

Biography

Beginnings, education and early career Born in Prigor, Caraș-Severin County, his father Simion was a lawyer originally from Pecinișca, while his mother Emma-Magdalena (née Staschek) was the daughter of a bank clerk from Bozovici. He divided his childhood between Prigor and Bozovici; when he was still a boy, his native region united with Romania. He attended high school in Timișoara, where he received top marks every year, graduating in 1927. He then enrolled in the University of Bucharest, graduating from its faculties of law (1930) and philosophy (1933). Between 1930 and 1933, he worked as a librarian at the university's sociology department. In 1932-1933, he was office director and then secretary to his professor Gusti, then serving as Education Minister.

Upon his return home, Golopenția returned to monographic work, a role he occupied upon Pătrășcanu's proposal. She was beset by difficulties following his death, and compelled to teach in elementary schools in spite of her professional background; she died in 1978. The couple's daughter Sanda considered it her moral duty to shed light on her father's plight; to this end, she published his correspondence, part of his scientific work, and a nearly thousand-page collection of the statements he gave under interrogation, published in 2001 after three years of research.