Abstract

After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, millions of Romanians emigrated in search of work and new experiences; they became engaged in an interrogation of what it meant to be Romanian in a united Europe and the globalized world. Their thoughts, feelings and hopes soon began to populate the virtual world of digital and mobile technologies. This book chronicles the online cultural and political expressions of the Romanian diaspora using websites based in Europe and North America. Through online exchanges, Romanians perform new types of citizenship, articulated from the margins of the political field. The politicization of their diasporic condition is manifested through written and public protests against discriminatory work legislation, mobilization, lobbying, cultural promotion and setting up associations and political parties that are proof of the gradual institutionalization of informal communications. Online discourse analysis, supplemented by interviews with migrants, poets and politicians involved in the process of defining new diasporic identities, provide the basis of this book, which defines the new cultural and political practices of the Romanian diaspora.

Ruxandra Trandafoiu is a senior lecturer in communication at Edge Hill University. A former journalist and art critic, she specializes in nationalism, online communication and European politics. Her co-edited book Musics in Transit: Musical Migration and Tourism is published by Routledge in 2013.

“The book is an interesting and informative read, a glimpse not only into the souls of individuals but also of their nation of origin that is not finished dealing with its past while wrestling with an uncertain present and future.” · Slavic Review

“…a well-researched and insightful book that contributes to our understanding of migrant activism, online transnationalism, identity formation, and online political participation.” · International Migration Review

“This was a high quality, well written manuscript on the Romanian diaspora. It was very informative, providing interesting commentary and information on a relatively unknown diasporic community.” · Eugenia Siapera, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki