Anneli Ute Gabanyi (born 18 October 1942) is a German political scientist, literary critic, journalist, and philologist of Romanian background, especially known for her research on the society and culture of theCold War period in Romania and theRomanian Revolution of 1989. A former main analyst forSüdost-Institut inMunich, she is an associate researcher for theGerman Institute for International and Security Issues (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik) inBerlin.[1]
Born inBucharest to aTransylvanian Saxon family of partlyHungarian heritage, she completed secondary studies in her parents' native town ofSibiu.[2] As a former trader, her father was subjected to restrictions byCommunist authorities, and the Gabanyi family residence in theSub Arini neighbourghood of Sibiu was confiscated by the state.[2]
Gabanyi studied Philology and Political Science at theUniversity of Cluj, and later at theUniversité d'Auvergne and theUniversity of Southern California.[1] She received aPhD in Philology from theHelmut Schmidt University inHamburg.[1]
In 1963, Gabanyi and her family were allowed, asethnic Germans, to reunite with their relatives living inWest Germany (all of whom had retreated with theWehrmacht fromNorthern Transylvania at the end ofWorld War II).[2] According to Anneli Ute Gabanyi, this was made possible by the efforts of her father, who had profited fromdétente in German-Romanian relations.[2] They settled inMunich, where she became an analyst forRadio Free Europe (1969); she was head of the station's Romanian Research Section until 1987.[1]
She has frequently visited her native country after the Revolution, and is a regular contributor toSfera Politicii.
Romanian Royal Family: 56th Knight of theRoyal Decoration of the Cross of the Romanian Royal House[3]