Mircea Muthu is known first as a competent researcher of Balkanism. In his studies the former dean from Cluj attempts to recover the functional dignity of Balkanism through the first Byzantine influences. Byzantine tradition is „bipolar” and tense due to the overlap of the religious element with the secular one. The second phase of Balkan influence could be the parodic one that comprises the Phanariote reigns. There are also some tragic valences of this mentality. The third phase begins with Dimitrie Cantemir. The theoretician recovers Balkan values stating that this act can be performed through aesthetic redemption. Therefore, the focus is on culture and creation. Though bitterly contested by some intellectuals, the theoretician managed to withstand due to the amplitude of his documents. The Romanian researcher rehabilitated the meanings of Balkanism through aesthetic categories, but he also opened directions of interpretations for the following decades.