This centre was founded in 1993. Its research deals with various aspects of the imaginary, and especially with historical and political mythologies, as well with the identity-alterity relationship, and involves the participation of university teachers, researchers, doctoral students and undergraduates. The activity of the centre is correlated with the postgraduate course in the History of Ideas and Mentalities.


The centre has organised a number of conferences (an average of one per year) regarding the myths of Romanian communism, historical mythologies, and new currents in history. In 2000 it collaborated with the New Europe College in Bucharest in an interdisciplinary exploration entitled The Island: Isolation and Limitations in the Imaginary Space; a volume including papers presented on that occasion has already been published. In addition, several other volumes have been published so far on Romanian historical myths and the myths of Romanian Communism, and the centre has contributed to special numbers of the History section of the Annals of the University of Bucharest.


The centre maintains strong collaboration relationships with similar centres abroad, especially with Centres de recherche sur l’imaginaire in France—principally those in Grenoble, Montpellier and Dijon; the collaboration with the Grenoble centre is institutionalised as part of an agreement between the University of Grenoble and that of Bucharest.