The Macedo-Romanian Cultural Society (Romanian: Societatea de Cultură Macedo-Română, SCMR) is an Aromanian cultural organization in Romania. It was founded on 23 September 1879, succeeding the Macedo-Romanian Committee established in 1860. The SCMR has the aim of preserving and developing the Aromanian language and culture, and it has had a highly relevant impact on the history of the Aromanians. The society receives support from the Romanian state and regards the Aromanians as ethnic Romanians with specific characteristics that are to be preserved.
The SCMR aims to preserve and cultivate the Aromanian language, culture, specific traditions and identity, including among the young generation. It promotes contacts and cultural ties with Aromanian communities everywhere and with the other peoples together with whom the Aromanians live.[1] A nonprofit organization, the organization receives material and moral support from the Romanian state,[4] having been legally recognized in the country as an association of public utility on 7 May 2008.[5] The SCMR supports the traditional notion in Romania that the Aromanians are ethnic Romanians with some distinct particularities that should be preserved.[6] It has the power to issue documents certifying civil status, including nationality certificates to help Aromanians obtain Romanian citizenship with considerably less bureaucratic effort.[7]
The SCMR, together with the Romanian state itself, funded and supported the schools and publications for the Aromanians from which many renowned writers and creators of Aromanian literature emerged.[8] It also supported churches for the Aromanians and printed and distributed manuals and worship books in both Aromanian and Romanian for free to support these institutions.[1] The society published Albumul macedo-român ("The Macedo-Romanian Album"), founded in 1880 by the Romanian historian, academic and politician V. A. Urechia.[9] It also published the weekly Revista Macedoniei ("Macedonia's Magazine"), which later merged with Românul de la Pind.[10]