Beyond Formal Structures: The Social Embeddedness and Mobilisation of the AUR Party within the Romanian Diaspora in the UK

How does the Romanian Orthodox Church matter for the mobilisation of AUR among the Romanian diaspora in the UK? Existing research has documented the involvement of Orthodox clergy in supporting AUR in Romania, as well as the party’s efforts to engage diaspora communities through religious and social networks. Yet the role of churches within the Romanian diaspora remains less clear. While some evidence points to church-based mobilisation, other cases suggest that clergy actively maintain political neutrality. This paper explores this puzzle through qualitative fieldwork among Romanian Orthodox communities in the UK. It examines the role of the Church from two perspectives. First, it asks whether and how church actors facilitate or resist AUR mobilisation. Second, it examines why religious and community experiences might matter for AUR support even in the absence of direct clerical mobilisation. Drawing on participant observation and pilot interviews with Romanian diaspora members, the paper explores how church life intersects with Romanian identity, community belonging, interpersonal networks, and experiences of life abroad. Preliminary evidence suggests that the relationship between the Church and AUR is neither direct nor uniform. Rather than assuming that churches mobilise voters for AUR, the paper investigates when religious spaces become politically relevant, how political narratives are received within these spaces, and whether church-based social ties constitute a pathway through which AUR can reach diaspora communities.