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TABLE OF CONTENTS LLeetttteerrffrroommtthheePPrreessiiddeenntt ______Letter from the President Adina Ciugureanu Dear Colleagues, The RAAS - Fulbright Conference: Constanta, 4-6 October 2012 Anca Iancu It’s been a while since the RAAS newsletter was published and, as we all know, numerous events have taken place during this American Studies period: new laws and regulations, elections, thoroughgoing Roxana Ghița changes in Romanian universities, new developments in the American Corners political field. Meanwhile, the RAAS has continued its work and Constanța encouragement of research in American Studies and may report, as many other realms of human undertaking, both Conference Participation success and failure. Costin-Valentin Oancea, Costel Coroban

Academic Exchanges and Summer In the “positive” category of commendable events in which Schools RAAS members participated, there are the highly profitable Raluca Rogoveanu, Sorina Chiper , EAAS conference held in Izmir (March 30–April 2, 2012) and Cristina-Georgiana Voicu, Roxana Ghița the exciting RAAS-Fulbright biennial conference in Constanta Ph.D. Theses (October 4-6, 2012). The former, called The Health of the Adriana Bulz, Cristina-Georgiana Voicu, Nation, gathered over 300 scholars in American Studies from Monica Manolachi, Costinela Dragan Europe and Fulbright grantees from the USA. Romania was represented by four colleagues, out of whom Professor Rodica Reflections of a U.S. Fulbrighter Katelyn Browher Mihaila from the University of Bucharest was invited to hold the parallel lecture “Healing the Nation? The Critique of Book Reviews Exceptionalism in the Post-9/11 American Novel.” The pleasant Raluca Rogoveanu environment, the hospitality of the organizers and of the local academics, the high standards of the seminars, the inciting US Embassy Events/Notices results of recent research in American Studies presented during Fulbright Scholars 2011-2012 the conference turned the EAAS event into a unique, excellent experience. Moreover, the EAAS board elected the new RAAS Officers & EAAS treasurer for the following term, a position which, this time, is occupied by the Romanian representative. Having been elected UCLA, and Professor Augustin Ioan, the one of the four officers of the EAAS is a challenge for me and I University of Architecture and Urbanism, do hope to able to rise to the general expectations. It is also Bucharest as key-note speakers, the proof of the appreciation which the EAAS has shown for the conference gathered Romanian RAAS activity on the whole. academics and Fulbright grantees who tackled a large number of topics pertaining The latter activity which the RAAS may report as successful is to urban studies and the American the biennial RAAS-Fulbright Conference with the title metropolis (designing, imagining, Remapping Urban Spaces – American Challenges, held at redefining urban space in culture, Ovidius University Constanta in early October, 2012. With literature, popular culture, the media). On Edward Soja, Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning, this occasion, the RAAS launched the volume The American Tradition of Descent/Dissent: The proposal is that the first and second Underground, the Countercultural, the (Anti)Utopian (Iasi: issues of the Romanian Journal for Institutul European, 2012), which contains most of the articles American Studies (RJAS) contain the best presented at the 2010 RAAS-Fulbright Conference held in presentations held at the October Constanta, with the title topic. conference in Constanta, which would have successfully passed the peer- For the second time, two students became the recipients of the reviewing process. Professor Edward RAAS Graduate Student Award: Sorina Chiper from Al. Ioan Soja’s key-note talk, which he agreed to Cuza University, Iasi received the award for the best PhD publish in the first number of our e-journal, dissertation and Cristina-Maria Nitu, from the University of I am certain, will make a difference in the Bucharest, was the happy beneficiary of the award for the best immediate reception of the RJAS. The MA dissertation. The RAAS board is very pleased to have CFP for the finished articles, observing the managed to have set up a tradition of awarding grants for the publication guidelines, is to be found on best MA and PhD research work. the RAAS website.

We all know how fast time flies by. 2012, already in the past, Last, but not least, there are the oncoming was the election year for the RAAS officers and board EAAS Conference in Hague and the members. The colleagues present at the general meeting RAAS-Fulbright Conference in Constanta, decided that the Constanta team should serve for another term, both scheduled for 2014. For the former, the only changes made being those concerning the regional the deadline for seminar proposals is representation. Thanking everybody present at the general March 15, 2013. We would be very happy meeting for the renewed trust in the Constanta team, we if the Romanian colleagues could be welcome all our new colleagues and hope to achieve better counted among the seminar organizers. ways of communicating with one another, irrespective of our Alternatively, we would be glad to broader or narrower interests and expertise in American financially support the RAAS members to Studies. participate in the Hague Conference by covering the travel expenses, as we have As for the “minus” category, however, we have to confess the done in the past four years. Regarding the disappointment at the constant postponing of the first issue of latter conference, the board expects the RAAS e-journal, which was scheduled to come out in spring proposals for the general topic by May 15, 2012. After an enthusiastic launch of the call for papers for the according to the CFP posted on the Romanian Journal of American Studies (RJAS) in spring 2011, website. after an equally animated response of the scholars who were invited to join the advisory board of our e-journal, the articles Hoping for ever more flexible and merrier sent to undergo the peer reviewing process failed to rise to the times, highest expectations, as, it seems, they either needed serious rewriting or they did not entirely touch upon the topic of the I wish you all a stimulating and journal. In spite of the hard work and dedication of the general academically rewarding spring. editor and of our young colleagues who embarked upon this huge ordeal of issuing the first number of an academic journal Adina Ciugureanu which we all wanted to be exemplary, the RAAS board and the President of the RAAS journal editors decided to drop the publication of the first issue EAAS Treasurer under the previous topic.

The e-journal question was also discussed at the RAAS general meeting in October when the decision was made to publish the essays presented at the 2012 RAAS-Fulbright Conference in two consecutive issues of the RJAS. Consequently, the board’s

______The conference opened Fulbright roundtable, “Enriching the with Dr. Edward Soja’s (University Exchange Experience,” organized of California, Los Angeles) keynote by Dr. Rodica Mihaila, Executive lecture on “The Spatial Turn in the Director of the Fulbright Human Sciences.” Dr. Soja Commission in Romania, and The RAAS - emphasized the significance of moderated by Mr. Jonathan Stillo, spatial criticism as a growing critical U.S. Fulbright-Hayes Alumnus, City Fulbright dimension across disciplines, such University of New York, Graduate as the humanities and social Center. The roundtable brought Conference: sciences. Dr. Soja’s thought- together Romanian Fulbright provoking presentation was alumni: Dr. Rodica Mihaila; Dr. followed by several concurrent Augustin Ioan, University of Constanta, 4-6 sessions, among which “Designing Architecture and Urbanism, the Urban: Contemporary Bucharest; Dr. Ludmila October 2012 Approaches,” “The City: Historical Martanovschi, Ovidius University, and Political Perspectives,” Constanta; and myself, from Lucian “Apocalyptic Cityscapes,” Blaga University of Sibiu, and Remapping Urban Spaces: “Redefining Urban Spaces,” former and current Fulbright American Challenges sessions that re-examined the scholars and grantees in Romania, Anca-Luminita Iancu American urban spaces from a such as Dr. Barbara Nelson, former plurality of perspectives. Executive Director of the Romanian- Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu US Fulbright Commission, Dr. Gene Tanta, who held a senior award at The biennial international the University of Bucharest, and Mr. conference “Remapping Urban Eric Burnstein, recipient of a junior Spaces: American Challenges,” award at the University of organized by the Romanian Timisoara. The roundtable offered Association for American Studies in participants an exciting opportunity association with the Fulbright to share the outcomes of their Commission in Romania, took place Fulbright experience and to discuss at Ovidius University, Constanta, the necessity of creating a support from October 4 to 6, 2012. Under network for the new Fulbright the auspices of its novel and grantees within the departments of generous theme - remapping Romanian universities, the American urban spaces - this In re-defining urban spaces necessity of building more efficient edition brought together numerous from political, historical or institutional relationships between Romanian academics and foreign contemporary perspectives, the Romanian and American scholars from universities in the conference presenters focused universities and the creation of a United States, Germany, Poland, mainly on urban design, political Romanian alumni organization, for a Cyprus, France, and Holland. From iconology, and issues of urban more productive collaboration an interdisciplinary vantage point, sustainability (to mention only a few among alumni. the conference presenters of the issues discussed) both in On the second day of the highlighted the complexities of American cities (Washington D.C., conference, Dr. Augustin Ioan’s American cityscapes, pointing to the Detroit, New York, San Francisco, (University of Architecture and intersections among literature, Houston) and in Romanian ones Urbanism, Bucharest) keynote linguistics, politics, sociology, (Bucharest and Constanta). At the lecture, “Starchitecture: From a popular culture, and urban studies, same time, the sessions on City-like Campus (UC) to a thus enriching the growing “Reimagining Urban Identities in Campus-like City (Cincinnati),” scholarship in this area. As Contemporary Literature,” illustrated how the architectural intriguing loci of human interaction, reconsidered the complex cultural trends on the campus of the the urban spaces explored by the encounters and influences, as well University of Cincinnati have conference presenters appeared as as the changing public and private influenced the urban design of the complex physical and emotional identities, in the literary cityscapes city of Cincinnati. In the parallel spaces of creativity, of permanence of works by William Gibson, Zora sessions that followed the or transformation, of memory or Neale Hurston, Paul Auster, Sarah captivating keynote lecture, such as trauma, of nostalgia, of unfulfilled Schulman, Peter Ackroyd, Thomas “Mapping Generations of Traumatic dreams or tireless hopes for a Pynchon, Jhumpa Lahiri, Don Memory in American City brighter future, as spaces fraught DeLillo, and Richard Wright. Narratives,” “Autobiographical with individual and collective social, One of the highlights of the Quests for the City,” “Voices of the political, and cultural quests. first day of conference was the American City: the Jazz Age and Beyond,” “Remapping the Marginal thanks to the active contribution of way of thinking in a postmodern and the Countercultural,” and the participants, the great merit of world. “Urban Spaces Reflected in this conference has been to My colleagues and I mixed Theatre,” the conference presenters increase the scholarly interest in the perfectly in the program’s “salad centered on quests for cultural ongoing academic conversations on bowl”, reinforcing its interdisciplinary identity and belonging, and on past issues of international American nature. Our team included and present individual and collective Studies. I am looking forward to the graduates from letters, history, stories of memory, trauma, 2014 edition! political science, philosophy, nostalgia, and emotional healing in journalism, eager to expand their the literary urban spaces of New knowledge of the “American Dream” York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and to get a panoramic view of the among others, as depicted in the American U.S. as a cultural space. Ranging works of Robert Lowell, Thomas from 20th Century American Pynchon, Jonathan Safran Foer, Studies Literature, Culture and Civilization, Eugene O’Neill, Tony Kushner, Religion and Politics, Media and Anzia Yezierska, Rose Cohen, Toni Communication to Advanced Text Morrison, etc. In the sections on film Analysis, A History of American and visual arts, “Transatlantic American Studies in Timişoara Feminism, American Society and Visions of Urban Spaces” and Roxana Ghita, Postmodern Thought, Language “Urban Spaces Reflected in Film and Discourse in American Culture, and Photography,” the conference West University of Timişoara the classes were meant to offer us a contributors re-interpreted photos comprehensive perspective on the depicting various aspects of city life “Choosing an M.A. program to American society and way of life, as or focused on the impact of urban further your studies is a milestone in well as an accurate picture of the spaces in such movies as Black your lives; you should be extremely dynamics of contemporary Swan, Romeo and Juliet, and O. careful when making such a American culture. Moreover, we Last, but not least, the papers in the decision”, is what I frequently tell were taught how to operate with section “New Challenges: Language our often confused students, still in cross-disciplinary fundamental and the City” discussed, among search of their personal and concepts and to become open- others, the challenges of urban professional paths. Not until long minded when it comes to new linguistic globalization, issues ago, I myself was one of these patterns of thinking and different related to digital urban narratives, bewildered students, ready to worldviews. and the necessity of re-defining plunge into the unknown light- During our second year, with U.S. linguistic borders. heartedly; there seemed to be courses and seminars such as Building on a prestigious nothing to lose (or gain). I decided Recent American Writing, Ethnic tradition, the 2012 edition of the to choose the American Studies Literature(s) in the U.S., Human RAAS-Fulbright conference has M.A. without a clear-cut idea of Rights and Civic Culture, Research opened a new academic space for what I should expect from it, what I Methods, Popular Culture, stimulating intercultural dialogue would study and how I could benefit Institutional Discourse, Geography and for creating relevant networking from this program. However, I was and Film Studies, we had the opportunities. On the one hand, the very enthusiastic about its opportunity to expand our participants came together to promising novelty and freshness knowledge and to use extensively discover scholars with similar compared to everything I had the analytical tools acquired during research interests, eager to share studied until then. It felt like opening the first year. By the end of the two- their own points of view on a. box full of surprises. year program, we had developed a remapping, revising, re-defining, or From the very beginning, what good grasp of social and political re-imagining American urban struck me about our courses and processes and power-relation spaces, thus adding new layers and seminars was not only that our mechanisms regarding race, fresh perspectives to the unfolding ideas and opinions seemed to ethnicity, class and gender, and we debates. On the other hand, matter to our educators, but that had assimilated the underlying participants had the opportunity to fresh and original approaches, as principles of a multicultural and enrich their own research by taking crazy and unconventional as they hybrid American society, and its into consideration different scholarly might have sounded at times, were impact on European cultures perspectives. Thanks to the tireless strongly encouraged and channeled nowadays. dedication and the professionalism in creative directions. The teachers The successful collabo-rations of the organizing team, headed by were there to listen, offer feedback with the Fulbright Commission, the the President of the Romanian on our work, and raise our Romanian Association for American Association for American Studies, awareness as to the crucial Studies and various Romanian and Professor Adina Ciugureanu, importance of developing a critical American Universities has facilitated Ovidius University, Constanta, and the constant presence of Fulbright lecturers and other visiting hosting the visit of Dr. Yudit professors, who have taught, American Kornberg Greenberg, Professor of delivered talks, organized Religion and Jewish Studies at workshops or videoconferences. Corners Rollins College, Florida. She gave Such partnerships and an enlightening talk entitled “Love in collaborations have increased the the Bible: The Original Reality interactive nature of the M.A. Show”, in which she discussed the program and have made studying The American Agora in different interpretations of love in an even more challenging and Dobrudja: American Corner the Bible from the Genesis and the authentic process. Another faithful Constanta creation of Adam and Eve to the partner, always supportive of our Song of Songs. The participants actions, has been the American Coordinators: who attended the event included Corner Timişoara, not only a Claudia Baicu and Rodica Toma professors of the Department of valuable information and resource Modern Languages and Literatures center, but also our prefered venue The American Corner Constanta, a and of Communication Sciences, for both formal and informal partnership between the US Faculty of Letters, Ovidius gatherings. First organized two Embassy, Bucharest and Ovidius University Constanta as well as years ago, The American Studies University, Constanta, is primarily graduate students majoring in Day has grown into an MA students’ an information and resource center Anglo-American Studies and colloquium where young open to those interested in U.S. life Translation Studies and researchers are given the chance to and culture, as well as a platform for undergraduate students majoring in present their latest work, get joint programs. Our corner offers a American Studies and English. feedback and engage in vibrant collection of materials on topics discussions on U.S.-related topics. connected to the United States in The solid knowledge of all their historical evolution as well as above-mentioned fields of American to contemporary American society. Studies that I have gained, the The center is also interested in development of my analytical and interacting with the public by critical skills have enabled me to conducting programs such as participate in high academic student advising and professional standard (national and international) development training. conferences and summer schools, The opening of this American which have given me the Corner in May 2006 was a very confidence to get involved in good idea, taking into account the research and start writing articles. fact that Ovidius University has a As a result, I am currently enrolled Faculty of Letters with English and Over the year we organized in the West University of American Studies programs. Since different activities for university and Timişoara’s doctoral program in then, our patrons’ number has high school students. Some of our Philology. Not only has the increased each year and thanks to most successful programs covering American Studies MA program a permanent marketing and a wide range of topics included: shattered my confusion as to my promotion activity, we have “The Statue of Liberty: a Gate professional life, it has also managed to become more and Symbol to America”, ” “What engendered a personal autonomy I more popular for students, teachers America Needs: The New could not have imagined a couple of and the wider public. President”, “Smithsonian Museums: years ago. I take this opportunity to The American Corner an Entire World in a Museum”, express my deepest gratitude to the Constanta hosts American guests’ “Spanglish: a pidgin, a creole, a program coordinators for the way in lectures and digital video language?,” “Capitalism: the which they have motivated and conferences throughout the year. Economic Jungle”, “The Great modeled us, and for their struggle to The 2011 Fulbright scholars who Depression: Black Tuesday – The constantly improve the program and visited the Ovidius University and Street Crash of 1929”, “Grunge - A offer us high quality education, either delivered lectures or Consumerist Trend,” “Feminine despite all the inevitable obstacles. organized activities at the American Solidarity: the Mother-Daughter Corner are: Prof. Dr. Barbara Relationship in Marsha Norman’s Mueller, Casper College, Wyoming, ‘night, Mother”, “Earth Day: Prof. Dr. Gerald Butters, Aurora Celebrating the Greening of the Job University, Illinois and Katelyn Market”, “Grand Canyon: a Browher, Catholic University of Magnificent Natural Stone America, Washington, DC. On Sculpture” and “The American December 5th we had the honor of Indian Heritage Month”. One remarkable event was assist. prof. dr. Ludmila “Arbor Day”, which was organized Martanovschi invited everyone to on April 11th, 2011. The guests watch the documentary Reel Injun were students from several high (2009). Tracing a journey during Conference schools in Constanta and their which Neil Diamond (Cree), the teachers of English. The director, interviews people involved Participation coordinators of this event, Adelina in the western and more recent film Vartolomei and Corina Lungu, industry, this documentary doctoral students at the Faculty of deconstructed the distorted Letters, offered those present representation of American Indians The 6th InASEA Conference: information on this American in Hollywood reels. The activity Southeast European holiday. The introduction was coordinator asked the American (Post)Modernities, University followed by the movie screening Studies students present to analyze of Regensburg, April 2011 “Arbor Day - The Holiday That the film starting from the notes they Makes a Difference”, which offered took of the interviewees’ opinions Costin-Valentin Oancea inspiring examples of young people and express their reactions to the University of Bucharest who keep the Arbor Day tradition director’s demonstration, the alive. Afterwards there were discussions revealing the The International Association for discussions on the margins of the participants’ interest in U.S. ethnic Southeast European Anthropology film and presentations by the minority issues and their media organised its 6th conference entitled participants who had prepared representation. Southeast European (Post) various creations connected to the The activities organized by Modernities at the University of topic of environmental protection: American Corner Constanta would Regensburg, Germany, from April essays, poems, PowerPoint not have been possible without the 28th until May 1st, 2011. The presentations, drawings, collages in constant support of the American number of conferees was quite black ink and acrylic, digital and oil Cultural Center in Bucharest. Since impressive and Romania was well paintings. the very beginning of our activity, represented by colleagues from It is worth mentioning that the they helped us organize lectures, several universities such as the celebration of Arbor Day in workshops and presentations, by University of Bucharest, Alexandru Constanta had already had several inviting valuable professionals from Ioan Cuza University, Iași and editions. In 2010 the event was various fields. The grants Ovidius University, Constanța. The enriched by the presence and direct generously offered to the corner by conference gave emphasis to topics participation of His Excellency Mark the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest such as modernity, tradition, gender Gitenstein, the Ambassador of the have proved to be extremely useful relations, history and culture. The United States of America, who had in our daily activity. We also want to conference opened on April 28th talked to the participants and got thank to all our collaborators for with a plenary meeting where the involved in the planting of a few their support. organizers among whom dr. Ingrid trees on the university campus. Neumann-Holzschuh, the Vice- Rector of the University of Regensburg and dr. Ulf Brunnbauer, the President of InASEA, held welcoming speeches. This was followed by a key-note lecture delivered by dr. Carol Silverman from the University of Oregon, USA, entitled “Gypsy Music, Hybridity and Appropriation: Balkan Dilemmas of Post- modernity”. Besides ensuring an excellent academic level for the conference, the organisers chose a magnificent city in the heart of Bavaria as its On November 15th, 2011 the inviting venue. Regensburg is a American Corner Constanta mixture of old and new (modernity organized an activity entitled vs. tradition), taking pride in an American Indian Heritage Month in imposing Gothic cathedral of order to celebrate the month interest to visitors from around the dedicated to American Indian world. cultures in the USA. For this event Ravizza), Political ‘Pornographies’ (chair Ines Krug), ‘Pornographic’ Pleasures and Aesthetics (chair Stefan Schubert) and Bodies in American Pornographies: Pornography (chair Maria Zywietz). Consumerism, Sensationalism, Discussions started with Jana G. Toppe’s (Berlin) paper on Twitter and Voyeurism in a Global and Celebrity Fetishization and Context Conference, Leipzig continued with Justyna Cugowska University, April 2011 (Poznań) talking about Nudity in Costel Coroban American Fashion Photography. Jiann-Chyng Tu (Berlin) discussed Ovidius University Constanta the Economies of Pleasure: The The section Representing Commodification of the Money Gender included my own paper The MA-level graduate conference Shot, while Pax Chmara (Berlin) “Language and Men’s Place in 21st American Pornographies: Consu- explained why P is for Porno. Tanja Century Romania” along with merism, Sensationalism, and Lange (Rostock) talked about The several other interesting papers, Voyeurism in a Global Context Concept of Sexual Consent in which tackled different aspects of investigated different notions of Xena: Warrior Princess Femslash gender from various perspectives. ‘pornography’ on literal and broader and Diana Petrescu (Bucharest) Each paper had powerful levels. Although conventionally added that With Great Power arguments and benefited from associated with sexuality alone, Comes Great Angst: The Advent of fruitful discussions in which ‘pornography’ is most productively Superhero Tragedy Porn. Annelies everyone present, both the understood more broadly as the Véronique Kleinherenbrink (Utrecht) panellists and the audience, got often sensationalist commodification concluded the panel: “Let’s Shoot involved. of individual acts and features. This Shit!” Lil’ Kim’s OneWorld Thus, the previously understudied Cover, ‘Burqa Porn,’ and Hip-Hop. subject of pornography brings new The second day of the conference, impulses to the study of José L. Ramos-Rebollo (Alcalá de consumerism, particularly in light of Henares) discussed Gay Porn: the rising influence of globalization Building the Gay Community while and the Internet. Olivia Badoi (Wrocław) went with The organizers were MA and her paper Off or On Our Backs? PhD students enrolled in the Visual Negotiations of Lesbian American Studies program at the Sexuality in Post-70s America. Leipzig University, and although all Milorad Kapetanović (Ljubljana) of them were volunteers, they concluded the panel by talking worked professionally for the about Porn: The Change of success of this conference. Even Perception, Production of Image, It is important to mention that travel grants were available thanks and Commodification. The panel on the organisers managed to offer to sponsorships from the American “Political” Pornographies was travel grants for people from Consulate General in Leipzig and opened by the undersiged, Costel Eastern European countries. I feel other sponsors. The conference Coroban (Constanţa), who fortunate to have received such a also benefited from the presence of introduced some “Recent grant, which made it possible for me Professor Crister S. Garrett, the Developments” in American Political to attend the conference, and I American Consul James Seward, Pornography. The panel was would like to thank my hosts for and other distinguished guests. completed with Ambrogio Morrone’s their support. Professor John Patrick Leary and (Rome) paper on Pornography and On the last evening of the Mr. Michael Archer ‘skyped in’ from Political Silence. In the next panel, conference, we were invited to a the United States and discussed Stefanie John (Hannover) explored traditional Bavarian restaurant ruin/destruction pornography in the Performing Victimhood: Sexualized where we enjoyed a delicious meal keynote session. Power Plays in the Serial-Queen and got (re)acquainted with German Panels covered a wide array of Melodrama, while Alexandra beer. All in all, it was an interesting subjects: ‘Pornographic’ Strategies Hähnert (Berlin) continued Towards conference, which I will remember in the Media (chair Franziska the Slaughter: A Hedonistic for its engaging theme and Wenk), Notions of ‘Pleasure’ in Porn Reading of Cormac McCarthy’s organization beyond reproach. (chair Julia Neugebauer), Popular Blood Meridian. Roxana Elena Culture and ‘Pornography’ (chair Ghiță (Timisoara) opened the next Andreas Mooser), Shaping panel by Redefining Pornography in Identities via Porn (chair Eleonora a Dystopic Future in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and the theory of this still under- The University of the last presentation was of developed aspect of human life: the Massachusetts campus in Amherst Katharina Zilles’ (Gießen), who pornographic. Very appropriately, is a beautiful place to be during brought us to Real-Life ‘Torture Consul James Seward reminded us summertime, as it combines a Porn’: The Relation Between of Terece’s famous quotation saying diffusely rural appeal with distinctly Representation and Reality. "Homo sum, humani nihil a me cosmopolitan incentives. The In my presentation, I have alienum puto", or "I am a man, I University of Massachusetts is a top argued that pornography, which is consider nothing that is human alien American institution of 10 schools accountable for disconcerting the to me." and colleges in which more than ethics of our society with the 26,000 students are enrolled. For fascination of the obscene (Munez four weeks, Amherst became the 2009), has not only put its mark on academic residence of 18 scholars politics in regards of the disputed from all over the world, which is a legality of the distribution and/or world in miniature, hosting displaying of pornographic Academic academics and researchers in merchandise, but, as a complex Political Studies, Sociology, phenomenon, it manifests itself in Exchanges and Constitutional Law and American the very field of politics, through Studies from Russia, Ukraine, displays of “morbid” populism, Croatia, Macedonia, Egypt, Nigeria, which occur more often in the case Summer Schools Cameroon, Swaziland, Bangladesh, of right wing politicians. Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia, Et in America Ego: Personal Myanmar, The Dominican Republic, Notes on the American Mexico, Iraq and Romania . Our formal discussion started during the Politics and Political Thought question and answer sessions Summer Institute which followed the lectures and Raluca Rogoveanu extended over meals and walks, Ovidius University Constanta gradually changing into friendly and heart-felt conversations and, sadly, I did not realize how much I I have wanted to experience cherished these extended America for many years but conversations until the program somehow, the odds were against came to its rightful end. This me. So I confined myself to reading program was also an excellent way and teaching about it, with the to become more sensitively aware The purpose of my article was secret hope that maybe once, my of where your country is on the map to explore and try to establish America will get a more distinct and how you construct your own connections between such contour and a more emotional cultural identity. While listening to examples (are there any categories shape. The summer of 2011 the other participants talking about and/or any “laws” that are visible in changed my coveted dream into their own countries, I have grown recent American political reality and a generous grant from more immersed in my being a pornographies?). It is interesting to the U.S. Department of State, Romanian and at the risk of note that just like sexual Bureau of Educational and Cultural producing a cliché phrase-a global pornography which is ever changing Affairs facilitated my participation in citizen. I spent four weeks there, in as it requires constant escalation in the Study United States Institutes that vast green area scattered with provocative imagery to keep the (SUSI) on American Politics and four story red brick buildings, brain interested, so do political Political Thought. This Summer dividing my time between attending pornographers have to “keep Institute was hosted by the daily lectures and library visits. upping the ante” (Propagandee University of Massachusetts Civic Our staying there could not 2010). In my research I was Initiative and the University of have been more enjoyable and this referring mostly to examples of Massachusetts Donahue Institute. is due to a great extent to the “pornographic political conduct” Upon embarking on my commitment of the Academic shown by Republican or Tea Party American experience, I was Director of the Institute, Dr. Lonce Movement politicians, such as determined to make the best of this Sandy-Bailey, and his staff, who Sarah Palin, Newt Gingirch or Dick academic chance and wanted to spared no effort to ensure our Armey, during the last 10 years. scrutinize the United States comfort and turn this academic In the concluding remarks of leisurely, with the eyes of a exchange into a memorable the conference both faculty and somehow experienced traveler in experience. students agreed that this Europe longing to check her cultural Professors affiliated with conference provided interesting assumptions about America. academic leads and contributions to UMass, Shippensburg University, University of Connecticut, St. of the structures and approaches to impact upon my future academic Michaels College, Worcester State administration at the federal, state career. The books which we were College and Harvard offered in their and local level. so generously offered will definitely lectures a comprehensive and Our stay in Massachusetts improve the quality of my syllabi challenging image of American came hand in hand with plenty of and refine my teaching strategies. politics in a synchronic and recreational activities. My favorite My participation in SUSI on diachronic perspective. The lectures one: a Boston Symphony Orchestra American Politics and Political focused on the philosophical and concert at Tanglewood. Or probably Thought was also an excellent institutional foundations of the the Chesterfield Parade on networking opportunity, as it American political system and Independence Day. My joy that enabled me to meet aspiring explored in depth the conceptual started in Amherst turned into full- scholars and well-established mechanisms behind the legislative, fledged enthusiasm upon researchers in the field of American executive and judicial branches. embarking on the two week study Politics; many years from now I will They also provided a firm tour which took us from New York capitalize on the insights generated theoretical understanding of the City to Pennsylvania, Virginia and by the intercultural dialogues and roles which the Constitution, public Washington D.C. I explored New stimulating debates and I look opinion, political parties, campaign York City by day and by night, forward to turning this act of and elections, interest groups and hurrying excitedly through Central personal growing into a complex the media play in the construction of Park and Times Square on my way academic experience to be shared present-day public policy. The to a Broadway show, sailed close to with my peers at home. courses also analyzed the articles the Statue of Liberty, climbed up the I earnestly believe that in order of the Constitution and its Empire State Building and admired to make full use of a cultural amendments, by identifying both the the breathtaking skyline of Midtown experience you need to attune historical developments of this Manhattan at night. Pennsylvania yourself completely to a new set of document as well as its offered me a double treat: courses intellectual and emotional contemporary framework and at Shippensburg University and a standards, to expose yourself referred to some famous trials of visit to Gettysburg National Military completely to a new intellectual American history by analyzing their Park Visitor Center, the largest adventure, to immerse yourself role in shaping the contemporary American Civil War museum which wholly into cultural patterns of judicial system. Other lectures displays a magnificent collection of American vibration. And so I did; by elaborated on the ideas, institutions Civil War relics. I strolled through living America intensely, taking and political agencies which the campus at the University of enormous academic satisfaction in determine and implement American Virginia and leaned against the long all the courses on American politics, foreign policy, with a special marble columns of the Rotunda, experiencing exhilaration when emphasis on present day policies wandered in awe and silence getting to Harvard and Yale, and their long term goals. through Thomas Jefferson’s home gleefully relaxing while listening to at Monticello and managed to get the Boston Symphony Orchestra, an intimate look at the artifacts and feeling Hemingway-like adorning the house which he drunken elation while wandering the designed and furnished for his streets of New York at night. I lived family. In Washington I started a my Political Studies experience in frantic tour of the Smithsonian poetic rhythms and I have no Museums, spent long hours in regrets. bookstores and on Arlington Bridge, and paid my silent homage to Lincoln, Washington, Vietnam and The visits and discussions to World War II memorials. take place at the City of Holyoke To say that I benefited Town Hall, at a meeting of CRUSH academically from this program members (a grassroots organizing from its beginning to its end is too committee), the Massachusetts much of a feeble description of my State Capitol in Boston and at the accurate feelings. To say that I House of Representatives in enjoyed it thoroughly is still an Washington, D.C. familiarized the understatement. I loved this participants with the intricacies of Summer Institute immensely, and urban government and state and the guidance offered by my national politics. Such field trips professors, as well as the rigorous proved to be authentic learning personal research which I managed experiences, excellent forums of to conduct in an organized discussions and profound analyses framework will have a significant Two Views, One Summer associate professor Luis san Americas. It was a great opportunity School: Graz University, Vicente Portes, provided us with a to meet new people from other broad introduction to countries. We come from different Austria, July 2011 macroeconomics, financial markets, backgrounds, but really share so international trade and research many of the same interests in the On the Americas: methods in development Inter-American Studies. In this way Afterthoughts to Deep economics. I was also privileged to issues were raised which related take a course in Creative Writing not only to an Inter-American Thoughts with the celebrated writer and cultural identity, but also to a Latin- Sorina Chiper professor at the University of Texas, American alterity (in terms of Other: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi Rolando Hinojosa, who was America as Other, Pan- extremely supportive and vivid in his Americanism, Interculturalism, The I first read about the summer school teaching and evaluation. Chicano Movement) in the context in Seggau, Austria, in a previous The summer school brought of transcending cultural limits. I also issue of this newsletter. It sounded together students and professors liked the activities, because there serious, highly academic and highly from four continents. It was a was always something going on and appreciated by the participants – unique opportunity to think something fun to do. The the right place and the right creatively, develop intercultural presentations and lectures were program for anyone interested in skills, indulge in the unmatched extremely relevant in providing the cultural, literary, film studies, Austrian hospitality and savory material for practical group work economics and sustainability cuisine, and build long-lasting and they were a natural source of dynamics within the Americas. As a friendships. It offered food for academic discussion. I also enjoyed student in the summer school On thought and numberless occasions the free-form approach and the the Americas organized in July to create memories – on the playing intensive style of the learning 2011 by the Center for Inter- ground, in the karaoke hall, during experience. The fact that everything American Studies in the University our one-day trip to Graz or the happened right then and there of Graz, I could see that the occasional outings to the made it challenging yet rewarding, program put together by Dr. neighboring areas as well as during because you always got feedback Roberta Maierhofer, Dr. Ulla the classes. I highly recommend it from the lecturers and other Kriebernegg and Heidrun Moertl to anyone who has an interest in the students. It was demanding, but was beyond anybody’s budding field of inter-American thoroughly enjoyable, all of the expectations. It was extremely rich, studies. participants being engaged and intellectually challenging, diverse in encouraged to exchange Inter- its range of activities and very American ideas and experiences. rewarding, on a personal level. We Consequently, we had the worked hard and we played hard, in opportunity to prove that the Inter- the quite little spare time that we American identity necessarily had and in a wonderful location, up becomes a hybrid between several in a castle. cultures (the North-American, the As students, we attended the Caribbean and the Latin-American classes that we had registered for in one). Moreover, the Uni-Graz staff the afternoon, and in the morning was brilliant, always there, always we had lectures given by all smiling, always pleasant. They professors who had been invited to seemed to take real pride in their teach, as well as by special guests work!” such as the Canadian cultural The Literature seminar started attaché in Vienna. We could thus Literary Views of the by acknowledging that (cultural) engage in an interdisciplinary, inter- American Other Seminar: hybridity is paradoxical in its temporal and inter-media dialogue essence; it also highlighted the that occasioned deep thoughts, A “Journey on the Road of concepts of racial identity and pertinent questions and the Americas” ethnicity that contributed to the comprehensive answers. In the Cristina-Georgiana Voicu reinvigoration of specific characteristics of Latin American evenings, we watched films made in Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi the Americas and dealing with inter- literature and of the paradox of American issues, played games or recurring American stereotypes displayed our artistic talents in a themselves. I really enjoyed my stay for the karaoke night. The main focus of the first second time at Seggau Castle for I took a course in Economics, week of the seminar was Inter- the 2011 edition of GUSS with a focus on Development American identitarian phenomenon: International Summer School on the Economics. The course, taught by Prof. Raab’s intention was to relate the concepts of out-thereness and claim to absolute authority or exchange, this event became the in-hereness in terms of Inter- unquestionable authenticity. perfect opportunity to engage in American identitarian stereotypes. To conclude, the Inter- crosscultural dialogue, reconnect At the level of content, this seminar American approach was an ideal with friends and establish new aimed at constituting a theoretical vehicle for entering the in-between academic ties all over the world. framework circumscribed to the space, and for allowing us to dwell The mastermind orches- concept of cultural hybridization there longer and longer as we rid trating this dynamic event was Dr. within Inter-American Studies and ourselves of preconceived notions Michael Hannahan, the Director of the analysis of certain Mexican- of race and gender. University of Massachusetts Civic American writings, especially Initiative during his coming to essays by José Marti, José Enrique Europe as a Fulbright Specialist in Rodó, Gloria Anzaldúa, poetry by Croatia during 12-28 October, 2012. Rubén Dario, Elizabeth Bishop and The conference benefitted from the Rodolpho Corky Gonzales, as well International Challenges and pasionate commitment and as excerpts from Carlos Fuentes’ the American Elections: logistical support of the Faculty of The Old Gringo, Sandra Cisneros’ Report on the Conference and Political Science at the University of Caramelo and Ana Castillo’s The Zagreb. Dr. Ana Matan, Dr. Hrvoje Guardians. In this way issues were Reunion of SUSI on American Cvijanovic and Dr. Berto Salaj, all raised which related not only to an Politics and Political Thought former SUSI alumni, had a Inter-American cultural identity, but Alumni in Zagreb particularly significant contribution also to Latin-American alterity (in Raluca Rogoveanu to the preparation and development terms of Other: America as Other, of this impeccably organized Pan-Americanism, Interculturalism, Ovidius University Constanta conference and reunion. The Chicano Movement) in the Since a SUSI reunion in the context of transcending cultural absence of the dedicated Academic limits. In October, 19-21, The Department Director of the SUSI program would The seminar also dealt with the of Political Science of the University have been an incomplete event, Dr. exploration of the transliterary of Zagreb hosted the conference Lonce Sandy-Bailey succeeded in content of Latin American writings, International Challenges and the making the trip to Croatia to be with identifying, for example, American Elections. The event, us. Vasconcelos’s “cosmic race” and which drew participants from all There is a certain Americo Paredes’ Mexico-Texan over the world, was remarkable not intellectual magic about SUSI on identities, and analyzing them from only as it featured the research American Politics and Political an integrated textual-cultural interests and projects of scholars Thought that pours its energy onto perspective. As far as the coming from eleven different all the academic events organized methodological foundation of this countries (the United States, under its aegis. It might stem from seminar was concerned, we can Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, the interesting talks of the American say that it relied on a critical reading Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, professors lecturing on this of concepts, methods and accepted Brazil, Argentina and Romania) but exquisite program or it might theories, and foregrounded a as it also provided the opportunity emerge from the passionate cultural exploration of the relation for an emotional reunion. Indeed, commitment and intellectual between the identity of the self and the event brought together former generosity of the two people behind the identity of the American Other, alumni of the Study for the United this academic program, Dr. Michael hence the rapport between self and States Institute on American Politics Hannahan and Dr. Lonce Sandy- alterity. The methodology employed and Political Thought , a six week Bailey. It might be the magic of 18 at the seminar was appropriate to summer institute in the United people coming from all over the the objectives: it was based on a States sponsored by the U.S. world and bonding with each other logical, systematic construction of a Department and State and in a new academic community, conceptual scheme, and combined organized by University of which is to last for 6 weeks in the explanatory-theoretical methods Massachusetts Civic Initiative and United States and forever in the with demonstrative ones, employing University of Massachusetts memories of the participants; or it not only analysis, comparison and Donahue Institute. might have something to do with the analogy, but also theoretical For three days, The exciting two week study tour taking reflection. The simple presence of University of Zagreb became the the participants to New York City, the American Other within the celebratory venue of an authentic Pennsylvania, Virginia and textual structure was enough bridge across generations which Washington D.C. Or maybe it is the evidence of the ambivalence of the reunited SUSI alumni from 2005 synergic mix of all the above, Latin American texts, an onward. Consistent with the SUSI of melting into a unique receptacle of ambivalence that destabilizes their philosophy of fostering mutual intellectual debates and emotional understanding and intercultural exchanges...Or how else can I account for the frantic exchange of Slovakia. Dr. Lonce Sandy-Bailey's Ilica street, the longest and busiest academic ideas and photos across paper ''The Exted Republics and the street in Zagreb, sightseeing and many social media between former World wide Web implications for the souvenir shopping downtown. SUSI participants still dwelling on Madisonian Political Arrangements“ However, the organization of the the indellible memories about analyzed the doctrine of pluralism SUSI conference and reunion was America many years after their understood as overlapping only a point on the busy agenda of SUSI journey ended ? cleaveges among people who move the Fulbright Specialist Michael Dr. Hannahan's announce- away from the politics of doctrine Hannahan in Croatia. During his ment about SUSI reunion in Zagreb into the politics of interest. His half month stay he delivered six and his subsequent call for papers enlightening talk revolved around guest lectures on Public Policy was enthusistically answered by the role of the Internet in raising Making in the U.S., Domestic academic and reseachers working political awareness and enhancing Sources of US Foreign Policy, in diverse areas of social sciences , ethical standards for individual and Obama v Romney: How Do yet united in their academic pursuits collective political action and also Americans Disagree?, Mass media by an unwavering commitment to provided an in-depth dyachronic in US Political Campaigns, Cultural American Studies. The conference presentation of the doctrine of Divisions, Political Culture and the facilitated highly stimulating and pluralism. Dr. Michael Hannahan's US Presidential Elections and Civic enlightening talks, seminal talk ''Free Speech, U.S. Foreign Education in the US to large presentations, thoughtful comments Policy and the Islamic World'' audiences made up of and helpful suggestions. The focused on the debate occasioned undergraduate and graduate welcome address of Dr. Zdravko by anti-Muslim videos and acts students at the University of Zagreb Petak, the Dean of The Political having recently taken place in the and University of Dubrovnik and to Science Department started the United States. His study provided a the general public. In addition, he academic workings of the comprehensive coverage of gave interviews to two major conference, which continued with ''fighting words'' as a heavily national papers, to Croatian Elena Nacevska's lively disputed ground in the Supreme National TV and Croatian Radio. presentation on ''The Spectre of Court. His discourse highlighted the A specific point of interest Islamism in U.S. Elections and the battle over free speech , hatched in was the organization of a two day New Islamism in the Balkans“ and the First Amendment to the Bill of workshop focused on the creation of Dr. Anna Unger's challenging paper Rights more than 200 years ago, an American Studies track at the on ''The Challenges of Democracy which continues to play out around University of Zagreb. The in Eastern Europe and the U.S. the world in political conventions, discussions revolved around the Foreign Policy“. Dr. Andreas courtrooms and street structure of a B.A. in American Stergiou's paper on ''The U.S. - demonstrations. My own Studies that should unite the Russian antagonism in the Eastern presentation, ''Is There a Pro- curriculum of Political Science and Mediterranean Region“ discussed in Romanian Lobby in the United Journalism with that of the existing a comparative perspective the new States?“ was an analysis of the American Studies program currently geopolitical complexities coming out Romanian ethnic organizations in housed in the Literature from the conflicts and new alliances the United States and their Department. The event, chaired by occurred in the Eastern strategies to coordinate a pro- Michael Hannahan, gathered faculty Mediterranean after the Arab Romanian lobby meant to advance members from the Department of Spring. Dr. Jovo Bakic's '“The Romania’s interests on the Political Science and Journalism Politics of the U. S. Towards the American national political agenda who discussed the development of Former Yugoslavia Region“ offered and create a pro-Romanian trend in an undergraduate program of an thought- provoking points of view on the United States and abroad. essentially interdisciplinary nature, the U.S. foreign policy in the The daytime academic which should combine modules of Balkans and Dr. Yulya Sida activities provided the perfect culture and values, history and provided an engaging comparative opportunity to share our insights politics and society and anaysis of the features of electoral into the topics under discussion and communication. This seminar, behaviour in the U.S. and Ukraine. there were no few occasions in which benefitted from the Dr. Cimea Bevilaqua's presentation which sharp comments and considerate assistance of an official provided a glimpse into the challenging presentations turned representative of the American discursive and symbolic the classrooms of Zagreb University Embassy in Zagreb, represented a construction of the “Americas“ seen into hothouses of intense fruitful site for exchanging ideas and from a Brazilian viewpoint and Dr. intellectual exchanges. The experiences between departments. Federico Winer offered an overview academic sessions were well Dr. Hannahan’s advisory role was of the political system in Argentina. complemented by the social instrumental in clarifying the Daniel Kroslak's paper elaborated program, which included two group distinction between American on the legal aspects and dinners (generously offered by Dr. Studies scholarship as complex implications of electoral politics in Hannahan), leisure strides along imbrications of ideologies and practices, a theoretical-driven core to the U.S.A. before, I was quite hosted by Duke Libraries, the of critical thinking which apprehensive before leaving fellowship enabled me to be part of investigates concepts such as Romania, I was afraid of possible a stimulating community of national identity and national situations I would not know how to researchers, librarians and faculty, character, dominant American deal with and I did not find further positively impacting my archetypes and race, gender and particularly attractive the idea of work. Moreover, Professor Shalom class and American Studies as a being all alone for two weeks on a Goldman and Professor Judith B.A. program of a larger different continent. But all these Ruderman invited me to take part in interdisciplinary breadth, which thoughts faded completely the first their classes and to participate in transcends its dependence on morning I got there, when I met the discussions, which was another literature to include several areas Serena and then Rachel Ariel, the extremely rewarding aspect of my of humanities and social sciences wonderful Jewish Studies Librarian. stay at Duke, as not only did I pertaining to American culture, Not only did they tell me and show acquire fresh views on the topics I history, politics and economics. me everything I needed to know have been researching, but I also I, for one, regard myself as about how the library and the came back home with new teaching privileged for having had the chance system were organized, so that I ideas and resources that I have to share my knowledge of American could immediately set out to work, already started to experiment with Studies with such an enthusiastic but they also took care of every my own students. community of academics and single detail to make sure I would Towards the end of my visit, friends in the frame of a cultural not experience any difficulty, to I also had the opportunity and I was event put together by the successful make me feel very much welcome pleased to share the outcomes of endeavors, resourcefulness and there and to make my stay at Duke my research at Duke Libraries with dedication of Michael Hannahan and in Durham unforgettable. Faculty from Duke Center for and some faculty members of the I first applied for this Jewish Studies. We engaged in a University of Zagreb, former SUSI research fellowship to gather lively discussion and I received participants from Croatia. And I bibliography for my doctoral project feedback and further research think I speak on behalf of many on cultural and literary suggestions for my doctoral project, SUSI participants that I strongly configurations of Zionism in the U.S. which I am very grateful for. Both hope that the event having taken society, as Duke Libraries are the wealth of resources I was able place in Zagreb will start a new famous worldwide for the to consult while at Duke and the tradition and pave the way for future impressive collections of materials precious feedback that I received similar projects in Europe and that they hold. The Jewish Studies helped me to refine my core elsewhere. collections at Duke Libraries include research question and to consider a wide variety of resources, from new ideas that I can also include in current publications, films and my project. videos to rare and unique I would like to take this Summer Research at manuscripts and archival material. opportunity to thank Duke Center Duke University, Durham, NC During my two-week visit to the for Jewish Studies for offering this Roxana Ghita, Libraries, I had the opportunity to very generous fellowship which examine literature written by both allowed me to explore the vast West University of Timişoara Jewish-American and Hebrew collections of materials hosted by authors, as well as books on Duke Libraries. My very special The moment I decided to apply for modern Jewish history, Zionism, the thanks go to Serena Elliott and to one of the library research history and society of Israel, the Rachel Ariel, whose kindness, fellowships offered by Duke Center Arab-Israeli conflict and the cheerfulness and professional for Jewish Studies at Duke microform collections which include advice created a great atmosphere University in Durham, North clippings from Jewish journals in the and working environment for me Carolina, was the beginning of the U.S. Except for the list of materials I while I was at Duke and in Durham, most incredible experience of my wanted to consult that I had put to Professor Erik Meyers, the Head life. together before going to Duke, of the Center for Jewish Studies, Prior to my arrival in the Rachel Ariel and her two very Professor Shalom Goldman, U.S.A., Serena Elliott, the amazing efficient assistant librarians, Professor Judith Ruderman, coordinator of the Duke Center for Adrienne and Crystal, helped me Adrienne, Crystal and Ben, for Jewish Studies, took care of every add on my list some other key making my stay at Duke an single detail, from booking my plane resources related to my research unforgettable experience. ticket, to booking my accommo- that I was not aware of and they dation at this jewel of a hotel, Duke guided me through the wide http://jewishstudies.duke.edu/resour Tower, and to preparing all the collections of materials. ces/library-research-fellowships necessary documents for me to In addition to offering http://library.duke.edu/research/subj receive my visa. As I had not been unlimited access to the materials ect/guides/jewishstudies/about.html the various studies and articles from discussion, the biographical one, the viewpoint of their relevance to focuses upon the salutary understanding O’Neill’s dramatic contribution of biographies, closely Ph.D. Theses universe. I have attempted to tied to the “sincerity cult” of the circumscribe the ideas in their dramatist, a direction that gained context of reception, both momentum from the sixties onward, Transatlantic Connections: A historically and geographically, by being also correlated with the distinguishing between the opinions developments in psychoanalytical Critical Study of Eugene belonging to the European critics of criticism. A third direction, the O’Neill’s Reception in Romania various nationalities (among whom formal criticism of O’Neill’s works, Adriana Bulz the Romanians occupy a privileged deals with aspects connected to the University of Bucharest position) and comparing their views plays’ structure, style and genre. An with those emitted from the other original contribution in this field is The thesis opens with an side of the Atlantic, thereby brought by Romanian criticism, introduction that presents the three emphasizing the initiation and especially as regards the possibility avenues of O’Neill’s reception, continuation of a cultural dialogue of O’Neill’s revival of tragedy, a laying emphasis on the particulars around O’Neill’s works. Thus, the critical claim fervently upheld by of the reception process and on the subchapter dedicated to presenting Petru Comarnescu and one which individual context which determines the period of negotiation of O’Neill’s many other Romanian intellectuals the critical reaction, the translator’s literary status comprises two debated over in the forties. As and the stage director’s choice to aspects: firstly, the period up to the regards audience-oriented criticism approach a play in a certain fashion. playwright’s reception of the Nobel – the fourth direction of critical The necessity of such a study is Prize for Literature in 1936, where I investigation – I have focused on connected to the sphere of interest have included the analysis of the several contributions dealing with of American Studies in Romania, in first critical reactions from the the impact of staging upon the the post-colonial era of the widening United States and from the audience or with the cinematic and interconnecting of critical continent, and which culminates transposition of the plays, enterprises linked with with the appreciations of the Nobel discussing the various existing conceptuallizing this particular Prize Awarding Committee. The “adaptations” and the ways in which cultural field. The interest for the second stage of critical reception, O’Neill’s text facilitates or renders subject is equally explained through unfolding until the sixties, is that of the reception process more difficult. the favorable context created by the the consecration of O’Neill’s genius. I certainly didn’t ignore the analyses organization of the “Eugene O’Neill” The second part of the first chapter, of the presence of O’Neill’s theater Symposium at the National Theater entitled “Mapping Out O’Neill in various cultures, presenting the in Bucharest in the year 2003, as Criticism in International main contributions in this field: the well as by the adherence to a series Perspective”, analyzes the indispensible reference source of concepts from the field of cultural branching out of the various critical American Drama in Romania by translation, critical concepts which directions that emerged especially Rodica Pioariu, Shaughnessy’s frame the present thesis and belong after the sixties. In order to ease the volume of critical opinion and to Homi Bhabha, George Steiner presentation, I have divided the reviews, O’Neill in Ireland, as well and Paul Ricoeur. At the same time, approaches into four major as the ample collection of essays the introduction briefly exposes the directions, with multiple orientations: from international criticism by Liu main reception theories that have contextual criticism, biographical and Swortzell, O’Neill in China. inspired my critical approach, with criticism, formal criticism, and These volumes laid the ground for special focus on Hans Robert Jaus’ audience-oriented criticism. the discussion connected to the “Literary History as a Challenge to The first critical direction, the reception of O’Neill’s theater in Literary Theory”, and on Wolfgang contextual one, comprises Romania that I dealt with in the Iser’s The Act of Reading. approaches connected to the subsequent chapters. Chapter one, entitled “Critical original context of the works The second chapter, entitled Perspectives on O’Neill’s Drama”, themselves, such as the analysis of “The Romanian Critical Response discusses the Romanian and the “Little Theater” movement and to O’Neill’s Drama”, presents firstly foreign approaches (especially the of O’Neill’s role within this the evolution of Romanian critical American ones) to O’Neill’s works, movement, as well as discussions opinion connected to O’Neill’s using as method the historical and of the artistic opportunism of the works, and secondly three analyses thematic presentation of critical playwright and of his “colleagues” of individual critical reactions, with a opinion. The purpose of this from the critical establishment who focus on explaining their ideological incursion into the criticism dedicated were eager to uphold his literary and aesthetic positioning. The to the playwright is that of building a status as a genius of the New chapter commences with an hierarchy from the contributions of American Drama. The second introduction into reception theory critical direction brought into upon which the critical approach in the chapter is based. In the first conjunction between the good and and maintenance of transatlantic subchapter, “A Historical Overview the beautiful. Such a translation, not relations, this time enacted through of the Romanian Critical Opinion”, I wholly motivated by the content of staging policies. Entitled, “O’Neill in underlined the central role played O’Neill’s plays, could be explained Performance: Romanian Cultural by Petru Comarnescu in the by applying the psychoanalytical Agents, Censorship and Public reception of the American dramatist theories of reception developed by Taste”, it starts with introducing the in our country, starting with the Norman Holland. In the next notions of public taste, reception critic’s first articles on the subject subchapters, I have looked into the and performance theory useful for and ending with the post-mortem motivations of the francophile critic framing the discussion regarding publication of his fundamental Al. Philippide and of the Marxist the plays, followed by a study, O’Neill and the Revival of critic Mihnea Gheorghiu, who both presentation of the Romanian Tragedy (1986). Besides made negative appreciations of theater issues from the inter-war Comarnescu’s contribution, I various aspects from the period, which are defining for the analyzed the various reactions of playwright’s work, but who also context of American theater his generation colleagues – Alice acknowledged his value as a reception in general and for Voinescu, Mihnea Gheorghiu, dramatist. Thus, the three study O’Neill’s plays in particular. Besides Eugen Schileru, Al. Philippide or Ion cases reflect, from the viewpoint of discussing the problems connected Marin Sadoveanu – but equally the coordinates of reception, the to repertory and public reaction, I those of the younger critics, such as particularities relevant for the included in this section a Andrei Băleanu or Lăcrămioara diversity of critical attitudes presentation of the contributions of Radeș. For a better framing of the manifested toward O’Neill’s works in various cultural agents involved in context of O’Neill’s initial reception Romania. modernizing the Romanian stage, in Romania, I focused extensively The third chapter of the thesis, among whom Petru Comarnescu, on the debate that took place in the “O’Neill’s Romanian Translations Alice Voinescu, Camil Petrescu and fourth decade of the 20th century, between Cultural Liviu Rebreanu. The second part of regarding the tragic and anti-tragic and Political Frames”, commences the chapter, “O’Neill’s Romanian elements in O’Neill’s most with an ample discussion regarding Performances: Struggles with significant play, Mourning Becomes the cultural context of the reception Censorship and Beyond”, lays Electra. of American literature in Romania, emphasis upon the obstacles of In the second subchapter, at the same time discussing the censorship and on their being entitled, “Individual Case Studies: political framing of cultural initiatives surpassed at different historical The Stakes of Aesthetic and in the course of time. The textual moments, the continuity of O’Neill’s Ideological Considerations”, I analyses proper, from the section theater in Romania demonstrating applied elements of reception “Romanian Patterns of Translation”, at the same time the mutual theory to the analysis of the critical include the evaluation of the Romanian-American cultural reactions of three Romanian respective translators’ interest, starting from the initial intellectuals towards O’Neill’s plays. achievements and failures, experience of the forties, when the By looking into the intellectual comparisons between the different performance of Mourning Becomes background of the three critics – textual variants, as well as Electra registered an unparalleled Comarnescu, Philippide and discussions of the cultural success. After the “silent” period of Gheorghiu – I tried to identify the interferences due to translation (I the fifties, the interest for O’Neill’s particular themes and motifs of their have presented the cases of several plays resurges powerfully, through respective discourses, laying Romanian texts from the forties that staging, in the period of the new emphasis on explaining the were influenced by O’Neill’s drama). stage realism of the sixties and motivation of the critical I also took into account discussing seventies. The next subchapter approaches. Thus, in subchapter the Romanian stage version of discusses the feeble attempts at 2.2.1, “Neoclassicism as Negated some of these plays, for which I had modernization from the eighties and Alterity: Petru Comarnescu’s access to the alterations made by nineties, when O’Neill’s plays seem Reading of Eugene O’Neill’s Drama artistic teams who staged the plays. not to have posed significant through the Grid of Kalokagathon”, I All through this chapter, I have challenges to directors from the tried to explain the intellectual regarded the challenge of former political regime or to those affinities that made Comarnescu translation as a consciously from the post-revolutionary period. resonate profoundly and adhere endorsed cultural act evaluated in The chapter concludes with a totally to the American playwright’s the context of the developing and discussion about the post-2000 cause. Mainly, as I have tried to continuing transatlantic dialogue performances when the revival of show, the idealistic dimension of the between our country and the United O’Neillean drama seemed assured O’Neillean dramatic universe was States. through the initiative of director translated by the Romanian critic The fourth chapter is also Alexa Visarion to constitute a with a solid grounding in aesthetics understood as integral to the sphere Romanian-American theater into the field of the ethical of contributions for the development company within the National Theater in Bucharest. Unfortunately, Exploring Cultural Identities to allow the world to enter the self. at the onset of the new millennium, in Jean Rhys’s Writings Consequently, Jean Rhys’s use of the interest in the work of the first the 1st person pronoun marks the American playwright became Cristina-Georgiana Voicu point in which the preexisting and obscured, a reality equally mirrored Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi repeatable language system and by the diminishing of the Romanian- the existence of the self as unique American cultural exchanges. and unrepeatable person in a The fifth and last chapter of the Since we consider that there is no specific social and historical thesis, “O’Neill ‘Sites of Memory’ in action or human behavior without situation articulate. In other words, Romanian Culture”, investigates the cause or reason, in what follows, we in her case the act of creating the emotional load of certain try to expose the reasons that led self is not an option, but an architectural sites and of some us to choose the doctoral obligation. This is but natural since artifacts connected to O’Neill’s dissertation entitled Exploring we have to create ourselves, as the lingering presence in the memory of Cultural Identities in Jean Rhys’s self is not given to us, i.e. our self Romanian culture. Starting from Writings. The first reason refered to “does not have an alibi in Pierre Nora’s essay “Sites of my interest in hybridity, a concept existence”, as Bakhtin argued. Memory”, the chapter constitutes an within the larger one of cultural As far as the opportunity of the invitation to the resurgence of identity, alluding to the mixture, chosen topic is concerned, we can critical interest connected to the combination, fusion, mélange state that at the level of content, this work of the American playwright, especially generated by the thesis aims at constituting a and it equally emphasizes the processes of migration. According theoretical framework circumscribed significance of transatlantic to the metaphor of mélange, to the concept of cultural connections accomplished by such cultures are presented as ‘flowing’ hybridization within postcolonial cultural intermediaries as Petru together (like body fluids) hence the experience and the analysis of Comarnescu and Alexa Visarion. existence of a ‘fluid identity’. certain situations of existential The thesis ends with a brief Starting from the acknowledgment ambivalence that operate at the chapter of conclusions connected to that (cultural) hybridity is boundary between sign (colonial the history of Eugene O’Neill’s paradoxical in its essence and that difference) and symbol (imperial reception in Romania, the author only an ambivalent attitude is able authority), thus bringing forward expressing her hope in a possible to encompass its contradictory issues related not only to cultural resurgence of the interest for the wholeness, we were interested in identity, but also to alterity, racism classical American theater, and highlighting the concepts of racial and colonialism in the context of especially for O’Neill’s plays. This identity, ethnicity or masculinity that transcending cultural limits. At a possible revival is seen as contributed to the reinvigoration of methodological level, the topic depending upon private cultural the aspects specific to Caribbean brings together two reputed fields: initiatives which require a sustained culture as described in the work of the postcolonial literature – lobby, individual dedication and Jean Rhys. The second reason addressing mainly identitarian efficient cooperation, for the centered on the paradox of the concerns – and the field of cultural moment there being no particular colonizing effects themselves: for, practices, in an integrated critical concern of the cultural authorities by exploitation, colonizers created research that combines cultural for resuming the interrupted an alterity or ‘limit’ in the sense of studies with textual analysis. dialogue with the works of an author ‘margin’ so as to define themselves Consequently, by applying the regarded as difficult in the as ‘centre’ – a system that theory of cultural hybridity as a perception of contemporary public evaluated and employed everything mirroring-space of identitarian sensibility. And yet, the advantages in relation with the superior dynamics in Jean Rhys’s work, we of such a resurgence would be standards of Western European had the opportunity to prove that multiple, especially in the sphere of civilization, thus promoting and postcolonial identity necessarily the intensification of Romanian- developing the concept of becomes a hybrid between two American cultural exchanges, the ‘Eurocentrism’. cultures, founded on destruction diplomatic relationships between In the context of the above, my through adaptation, (as colonizers the two states having thus the endeavour in writing this thesis destroyed, annihilated, yet took opportunity of being considerably concentrated on the study of the viable elements from the former enhanced. identititarian phenomenon. Thus, culture, hence the tetrad: take over, my intention was to relate the adaptation, promotion and The thesis was defended in concepts of out-thereness and in- development). January 2012 hereness in terms of identitarian The idea that postcolonial neighborhood, detachment, culture is in fact a hybrid culture is distanciation, alienation, very attractive as it derives from the depersonalization, etc., notion of deterritorialization, in the emphasizing the characters’ refusal sense that we witness an ever intense traffic between cultures – a In the first part of the thesis, we complicate one another in a mise en consequence of colonization – established the key concepts most abyme. Looking inside this abyss, accompanied by a mélange of appropriate for my investigation and we aim at acquiring a dialectic uprooted cultural practices, and insist upon the dialectic relationship vision on postcolonial literature as producing new hybrid and complex between identity/self and alterity. In both authentic and poetic. At the forms of culture. Consequently, we the second part, we continued with level of content, we analyzed the believe that the notion of the exploration of the transliterary postcolonial cultures based on the ‘deterritorialization’, in a large sense content of Jean Rhys’s writings mutual relation between the so as to include what Garcia identifying the Creole and racial practices and cultural identities that Canclini called “the loss of the identities in the postcolonial society Jean Rhys tries to define and ‘natural’ relation between culture and analyzing them from an explore in her writings and we tried and the social and geographical integrated textual-cultural to synthesize the definitions and territories” (Canclini, 1995: 97) was perspective. descriptions of the fundamental an important one for our critical The personal contribution in concepts (such as hybridization as discourse. Thus, from the point of this respect relies on the ‘identitarian fractality’, view of cultural experience, what introduction of the concept of fractal deterritorialization, a general becomes important is the way in identity, an identitarian hologram cultural condition followed by which this widening of social whose parts, when broken or reterritorialization and relations affects the character of the destroyed, ‘identically’ preserve the miscegenation, etc.), as well as to real place. Hence the duality of the features of the whole. The premise discuss in detail the experience of cultural settings in which the from which we started was that the hybridization as one which escapes characters of Jean Rhys’s fiction literary work, seen as a form incorporation (in which cultural usually move; on the one hand, generated by the principle of hegemons absorb and reshape familiar aspects, i.e. the diversity and structural complexity, subordinate cultures according to protagonists stay ‘at home’ and on can be interpreted as a fractal their own image and for their own the other hand, the alien features model (applied to Rhys’s purposes), remaining marginalized rather ‘placed’ in that place by characters), meeting specific in a ‘border zone’ and modifying the distant forces. In this sense, the compositional rules defined by texture of cultural experience. experience of ‘dis-location’ in Mandelbrot’s theory. The five fractal Moreover, in the second part of postcolonial society is not an principles (primacy detail, non- the thesis, which is mainly alienating experience, but an linearity, the primacy of analytical, particular attention was experience of cultural identity contemplation, internal omotetia given to the study of the experience ambivalence. and fractal dimension) are to be of uprootedness, separation and Coming back to the concept of found in Jean Rhys’s fiction. metamorphosis, mélange and hybridity we may imply that the Moreover, the fractal living space is creolization. The analysis focused notion of hybrid culture could prove one of continuous experience. In on the ambiguity of cultural identity, useful in understanding the type of this sense, the fractal perspective on the relation between colonizer cultural identity that rose in the on Jean Rhys’s characters restores and colonized, with reference to ‘transnational’ cultural space. the link between I and Other; the man’s condition in a society based Consequently, we undertook an fractal dimension of the self on abuses, violence, discrimination, analysis of the ‘hybrid’ seen as integrates the presence of a fluid characteristics of the colonial metaphor and in correlation with the continuum, the ego no longer being empire. exploration of cultural changes an individual, but a knot of In our critical discourse, the suggested by the notion of identitarian relations. Thus, the stress fell on the exploration of deterritorialization, that notion of ‘person’ is restored; the cultural identities and identitarian encapsulates the idea of place ego regains a different identity, structures created by the transformation with both positive entirely different from the existing phenomenon of cultural and negative features, yet resisting ontological models which see the hybridization. The simple presence to the temptation of interpreting it as man as an autonomous universe. of the colonized Other within the a simple impoverishment or Its nature as reconsidered in Jean textual structure is enough evidence dissolution of cultural interaction. Rhys’s fiction foregrounds a fictional of the ambivalence of the colonial Thus of interest for the topic of this decentralization of the characters text, an ambivalence that thesis was an investigation of the who have the consciousness of destabilizes its claim to absolute intrinsic ambivalence of identity fragmentation. authority or unquestionable deterritorialization, applied to the My approach pinpointed the authenticity. This study tried to point ‘life experience’ of the characters in strong connection between two out that a proper consideration of Jean Rhys’s works, becoming reputed fields: postcolonial literature colonial elements, long viewed as ‘naturalized’ and taken as such in and cultural studies. Mirroring each only incidental, illuminates a the current flow of experience. other, the two identities – cultural colonial continuum in Rhys’s work and textual – simplify and beginning with her earliest publications. In other words, the settings an array of topics was Performative Identities in textual analysis evinced Rhys’s examined. These included: the consistent preoccupation with formation of Creole identities, the Contemporary Caribbean issues of race, and examines the ethnicity and masculinity. Our intent British Poetry ways in which her racial here was to facilitate a deeper representations interplay with the understanding of and sensitivity Monica Manolachi depictions of gender and sexuality. toward racial relationships. The University of Bucharest Thus, commenting from a chapter also revealed how abstract consciously gendered and concepts such as cultural The intention of this paper is neither racialized position, we combined difference, identity, diversity, to locate Caribbean British poetry in close textual analysis with hybridity, individual racism, and the postcolonial or the English theoretical discussion as we traced ethnocentrism actually operated in literary canon, nor to discuss common themes, such as racial Jean Rhys’s novels. Caribbean poetry in general or in violence, cross-cultural identities, Chapter four explored the relation to prose, nor to focus on the and the denial or erasure of race. concept of intertextuality in four Britishness or on the We also examined the depiction of novels of Jean Rhys applying plural Caribbeanness in the “Caribbean white male protagonists, exploring intertextualities, illustrating shifts in British”. This both syncronic and the ways in which such depictions the narrative perspectives, and diacronic study rather explores a set require a transracial, cross-gender blurring the limits between the world of particularities, related to how nine performance on the part of the of fiction and reality. In this respect, Caribbean poets who publish in woman writer. we employed an intertextual Great Britain reconfigure the identity Our exploration begins with the strategy – interrogating Rhys’s texts of the contemporary migrant and of cultural identity theory, then it goes within cultural matrices – that the former colonized. They are John on with the description of the provides a wider web of relevant Agard, Jean Binta Breeze, Fred concept of hybridity and its uses in circumstances, from which to D’Aguiar, David Dabydeen, Linton cultural studies, followed by a account for her transforming views. Kwesi Johnson, E. A. Markham, critique of assumptions, those In the final chapter, we Grace Nichols, Dorothea Smartt referring to ethnicity, marginality explored the ambiguities and and Benjamin Zephaniah. It also and alterity. struggles of the construction of explores and interprets the intricate In the second chapter, we female racial identity in Caribbean process of responding to the argued that, in contrast to some contexts, with particular attention to English dynamic society (with its culturally discordant understandings moments of textual rupture which 1970s racism and its own hybrid of self and others offered by the signal the possibility of fluid identity. particularities developed throughout constitution of ‘hegemonic In constructing a new female Creole the last decades) and the image of masculinity’ that have emerged in identity, Rhys employs a variety of the blacks in European literature, art Caribbean culture, the postcolonial narrative techniques which allow and history. I demonstrate how, by period liberating ‘re-descriptions’ of readers to enter an in-between various poetic techniques and masculinity for the contemporary space, a starting point for the discursive strategies, contemporary Caribbean. In other words, it is transformation of consciousness Caribbean British poets move away imperative that issues of masculinity and of society. Within recurring from previous versions of racial, in the Caribbean be carefully patterns of racial dynamics, a West ethnic, gender, historical and attended to. As socially constructed, Indian female racial identity religious identities, and create new the hegemonic masculinity in the emerges in the body of Rhys’ work syncretic and flexible spectres of Caribbean is a major cultural as, consciously and unconsciously, identification, which contribute to symbol that prevents true her white heroines identify with their acceptance as British authors, emancipation in the region. As black slave women, and seek while preserving homeland cultural opposed to the masculine dominant another form of ‘blackness’ through features. identity, the white female Creole alcoholic oblivion. In conclusion, While Caribbean poets of the identity in the postcolonial cultural identity is an ideal vehicle interwar period contributed to what Caribbean will be considered within for entering the in-between space, in the United States is known as the the multi-layered complexities of a and dwelling there longer and Harlem Renaissance, Caribbean geographically fragmented and longer as we rid ourselves of poetry became prominent in Britain imperially constructed region. preconceived notions of race and mainly after the arrival of the Empire Chapter three focused on the gender. Windrush generation of novelists cultural identity in Jean Rhys’s and after the echoes of the 1960s fiction. Here, I provided an in-depth Civil Rights Movement in the United exploration into the multifaceted States gained influence in Europe. topic of cultural differences. To The thesis was defended in In parallel with and supporting the understand the dynamics of cultural September 2011. arrival of the (im)migrant writers and differences in various contexts and of other scholars, an intellectual Caribbean cultural agenda achieved By associating three whose tenor is transformation itself, prominence in Britain with the path- concurrent categories, Chapter 2 among which (m)other metaphors breaking academic work of Stuart (“Performative Gender, Race and are one type that can translate the Hall and Paul Gilroy, both being the Postcolonial Politics of Power”) Caribbean experience to the cultural theorists with significant stresses the importance of gender Western cultural world. Three achievements in the domain of play in the postcolonial poetry following sections trace several cultural politics and a huge impact dealing with Caribbean diasporic metamorphoses of the mother/child on postcolonial literary criticism. and transnational subjectivities, rapport, which can explain the Chapter 1 (“Performative which is defined as a plural, flexible immigrants’ resistance in Identity, a Dynamic Recon- act that can continuously connect considering England as motherland, ceptualization of Cultural Hybridity”) the materiality of the subject with its the emergence of the Caribbean begins by explaining why the title of spiritual potentialities. Essentially, and African maternal symbolism, the thesis includes the term the postcolonial realities have and an increasing dialogue between “Caribbean British” and not the altered the fixed, binary nature of mother and child, meant to tame former “West Indies”, and continues gender as well as the colonial Otherness. The last section with two main approaches to realities altered the racial binary. By delineates a significant shift cultural hybridity regarding poetry showing how gender is further regarding the metaphor of emerged in the Caribbean: one that inflected with the category of race childhood: from the disparaging is more materialist, rooted in the (and, to a certain extent, ethnicity), colonial expression “bush children” specificity of the Caribbean history the chapter draws demarcations to the positive symbol of and social structure, initiated by between black and coloured male postcolonial “rainbow children”. Kamau E. Brathwaite in the 1970s, and female poets’ vision on their Chapter 4 (“Collective Trauma and another one that is post- own subjectivities, on each other’s and Memory”) focuses on the structuralist, routed in the and on the discursive construction importance of cultural elusiveness of meaning that often of the white man and the white psychoanalysis in bridging involves a focus on cultural woman. It illustrates how Western spirituality with the submerged psychoanalysis. The meeting point gender and race stereotypes and memory of the Middle Passage, of the two resides in the distinction interpellations are appropriated as slavery, transgenerational traumas between the Bakhtinian organic and hubris or burden and transformed and the effects of some intentional hybridity, which marks a into self-revealing discourse through contemporary collective violent difference in awareness regarding double-coding techniques. By events. Caribbean British poets the hybridization process. corelating E. A. Sedgwick’s queer have adopted a wide range of Brathwaite’s effort to show the theory to that of Judith Butler on attitudes toward trauma, from importance of the Creole language gender performativity, the last protesting to more intimate and demonstrates that creolization section includes samples that resist even humorous perspectives upon means not only organic but also such demarcations, because they it. As the colonial trauma has been intentional hybridity, which has had comprise masquerade modes of more difficult to digest, some a significant influence for sharing the gendered and racial self authors devote volumes to postcolonial agency. The underlying with other subjects, with capturing many of its intricacies. discourse of such a stance sustains (dis)empowering effects. Drawing on contemporary the hubristic side of cultural Chapter 3 (“Postcolonial psychoanalytical theories ranging hybridity which can often mask Metamorphoses of Maternity”) from the Fanonian thought to inequalities. However, the lawless explores the complex rapport transcultural and cross-cultural desire of hubris can be interpreted, between mother and child by psychiatry elaborated by authors at its best, as a type of happy projecting it from the domain of the such as Laurence J. Kirmayer, the spiritual imprudence and as a family bonds to the domain of chapter interprets poems that match condition for understanding what cultural hybridity. Relying on Donald three main stages of trauma: denial Homi K. Bhabha calls “the burden of Winnicott’s theory of transitional and unintelligibility of the event, the the meaning of culture” as a gold objects and phenomena, such an formation of phantomatic mine for rebirth and becoming. The approach can help studying subjectivities and the moment of chapter includes a section on what postcolonial poetry in more depth by healing and forgiveness. is called the “Creole continuum”, a allowing for the literary text as a Chapter 5 (“Expressions of flexible language behaviour in Bill transitional object and viewing “the Faith, Doubt and Blasphemy”) Ashcroft’s view, which allows writers third space” from a gender introduces several postcolonial and to position their literary discourse on perspective which permits to historical theoretical particularities the continuum between Creole and associate the hubristic burden of that explain the postmodern Standard English, according to the cultural hybridity with birth and approach to the sacred in aims of their message and to the growth. In this context, the chapter Caribbean poetry that has been audiences they have in mind. presents what Stuart Hall calls transferred to Britain and to other “metaphors of transformation” Western countries. Essentially, as Sugirtharajah (2008) pointed out, Sǎlǎgean (Meridianul Mississippi, of their lives, taught within the postcolonial critical theory has 1985), Silviu Brucan (America American universities and decided offered a liberatory and plural vǎzutǎ de aproape, 1962), Dan to relay or communicate their direction to spiritual thought. In Grigorescu (Marile Canioane, experience of the other, the exotic, addition, a few recent insights into 1977), Ioan Grigorescu (Cocteil the different as subject, to their own the historical background of the Babilon, 1963), Romulus Rusan group. Caribbean region show what Laura (America ogarului cenușiu, 1977), Apart from a close reading of E. Donaldson (2008) considers as Ana Blandiana (Cea mai frumoasǎ their different types of travel “the crucial role of Christianity in dintre lumile posibile, 1978), Ion narratives (diaries, essays, promoting the Anglo-European Dinu (Cǎlǎtor prin America, 1991), historical reflections), I investigated imperialist project” (522), and how Nicolae Baciuţ (America, partea and analyzed the way the writers African, European and Asian beliefs nevăzută a lumii, jurnal de călătorie, had read and translated the have intermingled to create various 1994), Bogdan Ficeac (California, American space and the impact of strands of religious thought that did Mirajul Vestului, 1996), Sanda their writing upon the formation of a not remain in the Caribbean, but Golopenţia (America, America, real/constructed American image in travelled and were absorbed in a 1996), Stelian Tănase (L.A. vs. NY. the readers’ consciousness. tidalectic fashion on the continents. Jurnal American, 1998, 2006), I have considered an eclectic In the context of the actual Ştefan Avǎdanei (Acoladatlanticǎ, method of research as it offers the British multicultural social project, 2001), Gheorghe Calciu- opportunity to approach in Caribbean British poets’ diasporic Dumitreasa, (Homo americanus: o meaningful ensemble different experience has turned into a literary radiografieortodoxǎ, 2002), Victor fundamental issues within the phenomenon through the equal Coroianu (America mea!, 2007). sphere of cultural/postcolonial critical attention given to what Establishing a dialogue between studies, issues that are in close French historian Pierre Nora calls texts from various historical periods relation to the problems raised and “places of memory” and to the force of the last sixty years enabled my developed by the travel writers who of imagination caused by the research to identify and analyze make the subject of analysis. catalystic role of hubris in cultural certain recurrent topics and aspects The first two chapters explore hybridity. Given the fact that connected to American society, life, the theoretical definitions and Caribbean British poetry is hardly institutions, culture and landscapes, positions I use as the basis for my known in the Eastern Europe, this and to show how those topics had reading of the primary sources, paper is meant to be an introduction been raised and investigated by while subsequent chapters offer and a starting point for further Romanian travel writers since 1945 close readings of the texts under projects on Caribbean literature and to the present, aiming to make an analysis. The first chapter “Critical culture, recently celebrated in inquiry into the construction of Reflections on Contemporary Travel Britain by awarding the T. S. Eliot America at the crossroads of Writing” provides a larger prize to the Nobel prize winner Romanian and American cultures. framework and critical discussion Derek Walcott in 2010. The books analyzed in the about the puzzling genre of travel thesis explore the ways in which writing. It offers a map for the The thesis was defended in Romanian writers address the multiple and complex under- September 2011. American space, giving Romanian standings of travel and travel writing readers access to mysterious and and tackles landmark theoretical fascinating regions, and the values, views and their interplay with attitudes that are ascribed to them. cultural studies theory at large, in America in post-1945 The writers focus on aspects of the terms that are relevant for the study. contemporary period such as Chapter two “Travel Writing as a Romanian Travel Writing multiculturalism, transnationalism, Means of Cultural Translation” Costinela Dragan, relationships between the local and parallels the first one in terms of University of Bucharest the global, the New World Order, approach and methodology and and the post-colonial/post- points out a different and quite new Communism destabilization of critical understanding of travel The study is itself part of the current borders, aspects which have writing, that of a cultural translation academic work on travel writing, created new areas of negotiation instrument. The analysis is placed and since the genre is so all between Romanian and American at the confluence of literary and inclusive and hybrid, my research cultures. cultural studies, and focuses on the focused only on the travel literature The travel writers under common denominators of the two written by Romanians who discussion are all scholars with a disciplines that impact this hybrid journeyed to the U.S.A. in the post- philological background, coming genre. Special attention is granted 1945 period, and on the way they from different fields of activity to the way travel may be read as a depicted America in their (journalists, professors, political process of translating one culture travelogues; among them: Viorel analysts) who, at certain moments into another and to the manner in which hegemony, power relations and indirectly brought down the Iron impinge on the travel texts. Curtain. Reflections of a Section three, entitled The The fifth chapter titled Romanian Discovery of America, is Romanian Travel Writing on the U.S. Fulbrighter the starting point of the case studies U.S.A. in the post- Cold War Era proper. The discussion covers the analyzes post-communism as a Katelyn Browher Romanian literary discovery of category of cultural analysis in the America, namely the translations of study of travel writing. The Catholic University of America, DC / American literature from the end of travelogues under analysis are Ovidius University Constanta the 19th century to present, and structured on a variety of issues and secondly, in historical perspective, reflect various modes of enunciation the corpus of authors that make the and contextualization of America as In the past four months, I have subject of the investigation. a geographical and scriptural space adopted a similar affection for Romanian travel texts (generated resonating in Romanian culture, Romania—specifically Constanta— by the geographical and cultural and, nevertheless, offer as I have for my native New discoveries of the U.S.) along with interpretative valorization of the Hampshire. I will not go so far as to other, footnoting discussions of translations of American literature, say that I love everything about my unravel the socio-cultural contexts, hybridity, cultural identity, and new home for this academic year. ideologies and institutions, networks repositioning Romania as America’s That just wouldn’t be true, and I of relations and interactions cultural “elsewhere”. don’t think it needs to be true. between the two countries. This My study was meant to open Maxi Taxis: a perfect example double survey constitutes the a new study direction in Romania, of my fondness for Romania. At framework for my last two chapters and to expand the contemporary first, I was scared of these vans. in which – based on a close reading criticism on travel writing by My landlord told me about how they of the texts – I show with examples analyzing the constructions of travel work but I was skeptical. I watched how travel texts construct the image texts under discussion, and by others board them and disembark of America in the Romanian placing them within the context of with a wary eye for nearly a week imaginary. Romanian-American relations, in before I got up the courage to give it What the dissertation puts order to show their relevance for a a try. I followed my companions for forth in the fourth and fifth chapters better understanding of those the journey and found myself in the is a communist/post-communist relations as well as for a better shadiest public transportation I have approach of America, with an understanding of each of the two ever ridden on. I was pleasantly emphasis on the differences of cultures. The intention was to show surprised. In my mind, I had interpretation given by various 20th to what extent the interest in the imagined the twelve-seat vans so century ideologies. Thus, chapter U.S.A. shapes the Romanian popular among large families in the four - Romanian Travel Writing on reflection of American values and US, with bench seats to be shared the U.S.A. from 1945 to the end of how travel writing represents a by three or four passengers and the Cold War – enhances critical modality of mediation between the with riders climbing over and around approaches to communism, two cultures. these seats in a most marking the main theories and uncomfortable, writhing mass. interpretations related to it, with an The thesis was defended in The maxi taxi looked full when elaborated presentation of the September 2012 it pulled up to the station where I bilateral cultural relations and the was waiting. It looked full after U.S. constant, symbolic presence in seven passengers climbed out. It Romania. Then, a close reading of looked full after the eight people in the travel texts puts forth the line in front of me got on. It looked common themes of the travelogues full when I climbed in. It looked full along their interpretations – the when three other people climbed in attempt to demythologize America after me. Then, I discovered that in the 1950s through different maxi taxis are like Mary Poppins’s stereotypes, and to reconstruct it carpet bag; they have no maximum after the 1960s by bringing readers capacity. topics of relevance such as Maxi taxis are uncomfortable, America’s history, its social life, especially when you spend the first cities, landscapes. I also look briefly ten minutes of your commute to into those texts generated by school squatting next to the driver, Romanian émigrés who have pressed against the center console collaborated with Voice of America under the cracked windshield. and engaged in the ideological fight Nevertheless, maxi taxis are my favorite form of local transportation international students who want to can do differently. Regardless, I in Romania. They are affordable, study. Lastly, in four months I have intend to maintain my hard-line convenient, and familiar. When I never felt snubbed or excluded for stance from this semester and return from the US, I will miss them being a foreigner. I was never encourage students to complete terribly. under the impression that Romania their work on their own. Despite Romania has surprised me in would be unwelcoming, but I this pitfall, I am thoroughly enjoying many ways. I was never under the certainly didn’t expect I would my experiences with the Romanian pretense that I had everything about broaden my horizons to so many education system. Romania figured out before my new cultures during my stay. As a middle and high-school arrival, but I still could not help but The most disheartening and teacher in the United States, I am be amazed at some unexpected the only truly negative experience I curious about secondary education revelations. Romania is a very have had in Romanian is the in Romania and sought out working international place. Perhaps there rampant plagiarism problem in the with younger students, in addition to is a bit of a bias in my experience, education system. In the United my university classes. I teamed up since—as a foreigner—I am more States, plagiarism simply is not with my university’s division of the likely to stumble upon foreigners in tolerated. In many universities you student organization AIESEC to everyday life (most notably in my can fail the course for your first lead training sessions on personal Romanian language course), but I offense, even if it was unintentional, finance to local high school seem to meet people from other and be expelled on subsequent students. I gained insight into the nations all over Constanta. I have offenses. As the end of the first function and process of secondary met Germans, French, Russians, semester drew to a close, I was education, and I got the opportunity Turks, Greeks, Bulgarians, bombarded with homework to work with younger students with Albanians, Canadians, Swedes, assignments from my students that a strong drive to learn. They helped Portuguese, Israelis, Afghans, had been copied verbatim from me to improve my Romanian Chinese, British, Georgians, Wikipedia and other websites. It got language skills and to get the most Americans, Slovaks, Malaysians, to the point that I could identify, on out of my time abroad. I grew fond Moldovans, Egyptians, Cameroons, sight, the opening sentences of the of them all and at the end of the and Indians. That’s about the same Wikipedia articles on Thanksgiving program decided—with a Romanian number of different nationalities I and stereotypes. I had multiple friend—to start English classes with have encountered in the United students who only turned in work those students who want extra States, which I know is more that had been copied and pasted practice in preparation for their statistically diverse. from the internet. The most national exams. While I was at first surprised to astounding thing to me was that The first half of my stay in discover so many people of different students seemed dismayed that Romania has been enlightening and nationalities living in Romania, now they received no credit for their overall positive. For every quirk I that I am more familiar with the plagiarized assignments. I had find—such as the maxi taxis—I do country, I am realizing that this heard about this problem before I not find myself irritated. Rather, I should not be a surprise to me at arrived in Romania, so I took find myself more attached to this all. Nearly every Romanian I meet precautions to prevent students country every day. I must face the speaks English, which makes it from plagiarizing. I gave a speech most severe case of plagiarism I especially easy for foreigners to find about plagiarism on the first day of could have dreamed of, but I go their way around. (At first I found class. I described plagiarism on the forward on my next five months in this extremely helpful, but now that I syllabus. I designed homework Romania with nothing but high am more serious about learning assignments so that the vast hopes and expectations of an Romanian I wish I was required to majority of them requested personal enjoyable stay, which I know will speak Romanian much more in day opinions and little to no researching. end in a bittersweet farewell come to day life.) Furthermore, the It simply didn’t work. June. universities offer English courses at I am left reevaluating my cheaper rates than those of many course of action for my classes next other countries, appealing to semester and pondering over what I Book Reviews

approach to frighten people away from hell and Jonathan Edwards and the Gospel of Love compel them to relate themselves lovingly to Ronald Story God’s benevolence and holiness. In Ronald Amherst and Boston: University of Massachusetts Story’s book, Jonathan Edwards emerges as the Press, 2012 preeminent spiritual leader whose sermons Raluca Rogoveanu emphasize the sense of emotional participation Ovidius University Constanta in the spiritual reality of the congregation and strike a meaningful balance between rational Unlike most interpretative approaches to understanding and religious enthusiasm. Jonathan Edwards which circumscribe him to Unlike many scholarly studies on the limiting paradigm delineated by his staunch Edwards which rest on his largest anthologized adherence to Calvinism, his imprecatory sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, sermons and his contribution to the Great and pay little interest in his unpublished sermon Awakening, Ronald Story’s Jonathan Edwards manuscripts, Story considers a more and the Gospel of Love proposes an alternative comprehensive research corpus made up of reading of Edwards’ life and work which Edwards’ relatively unexplored sermons which captures new doctrinal nuances and theological nevertheless make for a repository of his best inflections. The book, which stems from the expressed ideas and pastoral concerns. author’s longstanding interest and academic The first chapter is a biographical account commitment to Jonathan Edwards’ work, is a which highlights the most important events of multi-faceted reformulation of Edwards’ Edwards’ life and the second chapter (Personae) philosophical vision and theological creed and identifies the cornerstones of his intellectual and represents a departure from the almost theological pursuits. While elaborating upon canonical view of Edwards as the theologian of Edwards as the intellectual, Story’s discourse sin and damnation. Rather than recapitulating glides gracefully through Enlightenment the major critical directions which have theories to assess his indebtedness to Newton’s portrayed Edwards as the dark and fiery findings and Lockean epistemology and analyze preacher of the 18th century New England, the his stand on the efficacy of reason as a means for author sets himself the daunting task of critically evangelical purposes. The authors makes a rediscovering Jonathan Edwards as the compelling case while presenting Edwards’ compassionate spiritual leader and preacher of unwavering commitment to Calvinism by charity and love. The result of his endeavor is a emphasizing his doctrinal polemic with Judaism rounded description of Edwards’ work which and other Christian traditions and religious balances the ideas of the absolute sovereignty of beliefs such as Catholicism, proto-Unitarianism, God (as articulated in his upholding theological Anglicanism, congregationalism and determinism) and the perfection of God’s millennialism. The second chapter portrays holiness as expressed in his contemplation of Edwards as the theologian who determined beauty, virtue, charity and love. significant changes in the Puritan thinking of Jonathan Edwards and the Gospel of doctrinal questions and devotes considerable Love focuses on the passionate commitment of a attention to the revivalist movement in spiritual leader who asserts visions of hell as an Northampton and the profound implications of awareness-raising mechanism, uses imagery of this awakening of faith paralleled by the dread as a plausible, necessary and reasonable regeneration of soul. This chapter offers an exploration of the beginning, development and observations of colonial politics, this chapter legacy of the Great Awakening, its represents a meticulous exploration of Edwards’ transformative effect as well as the ideological engagement with this topic over years. tensions and community dissensions generated The chapter on “Community “ portrays by this spiritual and ideological upheaval. Jonathan Edwards as the minister of the gospel In the effervescent space of New England, of community, accounts for his concern for Edwards’ sermons represent not only salvation which is premised on the personal instruments of worship in a liturgical context, relationship between God and man unfolding but also essential elements in the cultural and within a community space and analyzes the intellectual life of the community, eloquently manifold representations of togetherness as delivered speeches meant to uplift mind and social peace, unity, harmony, collective worship, raise affection, which balance the solid conversation, friendship, neighborliness and theological argument with the intensity of holy community . feeling. While accounting for the persuasiveness The next chapter focuses on this principle of these doctrinal assertions and their role in of “Love” as an all-encompassing concept of refining and channeling spiritual devotion and Edwardsian theology and represents an religious commitment or in determining extensive elaboration on Edwards’ core principle startling expression of piety and zeal, Ronald in its social, theological and dimensions. Story reconceptualizes the sermons of fear as a Balancing Edwards‘s doctrinal understanding of sermon of love. Edwards’ uttering his words of spiritual love with the description of romantic holy wrath with compassion, tenderness and elements in his discourse of earthly love and love create powerful performative contexts multiple references to the Old and New likely to foster intense spiritual experiences, Testament with intertextual references to Dante prepare people for the outpour of grace and and other classical texts, this chapter makes a induce spiritual conversion. compelling case of Edwards as the passionate Merging discourse analysis with supporter of the gospel of love. historical contextualization, the chapter “Tropes” “Afterword” provides a conclusive represents a noteworthy departure from the description of Jonathan Edwards as the “traditional “ critical reception of Edwards as a preeminent intellectual and spiritual leader of conservative evangelist and an in-depth the 18th century whose theology upholds a thematic analysis of Edwards’ sermons which holistic vision of the Creator and propounds demonstrates his preference for concepts like love as the ultimate principle of creation and light, beauty, harmony and sweetness. exalts the virtues of charity and compassion. The chapter “Charity” analyzes Edwards’ A meaningful contribution to Jonathan understanding of the principle of charity as the Edwards’s scholarship, Jonathan Edwards and ultimate manifestation of love for God and His the Gospel of Love is not only a rich and creation, as expressed not only in concrete insightful analysis of Jonathan Edwards as the gestures of sharing material wealth but also in most prominent Christian preacher and the generosity of spirit. This part also philosophical theologian of New England, but demonstrates the centrality of this principle in also an excellent guide which can appeal to a Edwards’ life and ministry and describes it as a wide readership in many disciplines and corollary of love to God and the most genuine unfailingly meet the critical expectations of measure of religious zeal and communion. specialist readers and general public alike. Alternating descriptive passages with extended commentaries of theological arguments and drawing on biblical examples as well as on keen Host University: Georgetown University US Embassy Events/Notices Field: History (non-US) and Cultural Studies http://romania.usembassy.gov/ Catalina ULRICH Home University: University of Bucharest http://www.facebook.com/bucharest.usembassy Host University: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Field: Education/ Educational Program Development

Fulbright Scholars 2011-2012 ROMANIAN JUNIOR GRANTEES

ROMANIAN SENIOR GRANTEES Mihai COPACIU Home University: Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies Adriana AGAPIE Host University: Northwestern University Home University: Bucharest Academy of Economic Field: Economics/Finance Studies Host University: California State University East Bay Irina COSTACHE Field: Economics/Econometrics Home University: University of Bucharest Host University: University of California Los Angeles Adrian BIRZU Field: Gender Studies Home University: Al. Ioan Cuza University of Iasi Host University: Saint Louis University Bogdan DOSPINESCU Field: Chemistry/Physical Chemistry Home University: National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest Radu N. CATANA Host University: Rutgers,The State University of New Home University: Babes-Bolyai U. Cluj Jersey Host University: University of California, Berkeley Field: Political Communication Field: Law/Corporate Law Ciprian DUMITRACHE Dan COGALNICEANU Home University: POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest Home University: Ovidius University of Constanta Host University: Georgia Institute of Technology Host University: Oklahoma State University Field: Aerospace Engineering Field: Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity Delia MATEIAS Irina CULIC Home Institution: The Romanian Academy Home University: Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj Host University: George Washington University Host University: New York University Field: Education Field: Sociology/Ethnicity& Migration Oana MISTREANU Olivia DORNEANU Home University: University of Bucharest Home University: University of Medicine and Pharmacy Host University: University of Missouri, Columbia Gr. T. Popa Iasi Field: Communication/Journalism Host University: Louisiana State University Field: Medical Sciences/Microbiology Olimpia MOSTEANU Home University: Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj Augustin IOAN Host University: The New School for Social Research Home University: University of Architecture and Urbanism Field: Political Sociology Ion Mincu Bucharest Host University: University of Cincinnati Ana PASTI Field: Architecture/Architecture of Public Space Home University: “I. L. Caragiale” National University of Theatre and Cinematographic Arts, Bucharest Cristina MODREANU Host University: University of Southern California Los Home Institution: Romanian Association for Performing Angeles, CA Arts Field: Acting Host University: New York University Field: Performance Studies Florin Andrei POENARU Home University: Central European University Budapest Laura SITARU Host University: City University of New York Home University: University of Bucharest Field: Anthropology Maria Ruxandra POP Dr. Mohsen RAZZAGHI Home University: University of Bucharest Field: Mathematics and Statistics Host University: Indiana University, Bloomington Host University: Bucharest Technical University of Civil Field: Visual Anthropology Engineering Home University: Mississippi State University - Mississippi Georgeta Bianca SARBU State, MS Home Institution: ETH Zurich, Center for Security Studies Host University: George Washington University-Elliott Ms. Laura Gluckman WAYTH School of International Affairs Home University: Florida Atlantic University - Boca Raton, Field: International Affairs FL Host University: Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj Field: Theatre Performance FULBRIGHT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Dr. Jane Elizabeth WESTLAKE Home University: University of Michigan--Ann Arbor Alexandru NECHIFOR Host University: University of Bucharest, Bucharest Home University: POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest Field: American Drama Pedagogy Host University: Georgia Institute of Technology Field: Electrical and Computer Engineering Dr. Stephen Joel CUTLER Home University: University of Vermont - Burlington, VT Catalin Stefan TISEANU Host University: University of Bucharest, Bucharest Home University: University of Bucharest Field: Sociology, Demography Host University: University of Maryland, College Park Field: Computer Science AMERICAN JUNIOR GRANTEES HUBERT H. HUMPHREY GRANTEES Ms Kelli WILBERT Cristian ALECSE Home University: Northwestern University, IL Home University: National Institute for Economic Host University: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi Development, Bucharest Field: English Teaching Assistantship Home Institution: Habitat for Humanity Pitesti Host University: Michigan State University Ms Nicole Kay WELLS Field: Economic Development/Finance and Banking Home University: Hastings College, NE Host University: Transilvania University of Brasov Field: English Teaching Assistantship

AMERICAN SENIOR GRANTEES Mr. Nicholas Emmanuel SVEHOLM Home University: Indiana University, Bloomington, IN Dr. Holly McKinzie BEENE Host University: Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu Home University: Maricopa Community Colleges - Tempe, Field: History, Modern AZ Host University: University of Bacau Ms. Katelyn Arlene BROWHER Field: Communication, Culture, and Globalization Home University: Catholic University of America, DC Host University: Ovidius University of Constanta Dr. Jennifer Sue FEENSTRA Field: English Teaching Assistantship Home University: Northwestern College - Orange City, IA Host University: Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj Mrs. Karla HOPPMANN BURU Field: Psychology Home University: University of South Carolina, SC Host University: University of Petrosani Dr. Yudit Kornberg GREENBERG Field: Social Work - Cross-Cultural Social Work Practices Home Institution: Rollins College - Winter Park, FL in the Jiu Valley Host University: University of Bucharest, Bucharest Field: Jewish Studies and Religious Studies Ms. Laura EVERS Home University: College of William and Mary, VA Dr. Paul HAMILL Host University: Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava Home University: Ithaca College - Ithaca, NY Field: English Teaching Assistantship Host University: Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu Field: American Studies Ms. Jessica Lynn MILLER Home University: At-Large, Pennsylvania Host University: University of the West, Timisoara RAAS Officers & EAAS Field: English Teaching Assistantship RAAS

Ms. Anca Izabel Galliera President: Adina Ciugureanu, Department of English and Home University: University of Pittsburgh, PA American Studies, Faculty of Letters, Ovidius University - Host University: University of Arts, International Center for Constanta, Aleea Universitatii 1, Campus, Constanţa; Contemporary Arts (ICCA) Bucharest Field: Art and Architectural History (special program, carried out in Bulgaria and Romania) Vice President: Roxana Oltean, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Department of English, University of Bucharest, 7-13 Pitar Mos Street, 70151 Bucharest;

Secretary and Newsletter editor: Ludmila Martanovschi, Department of English and American Studies, Faculty of Letters, Ovidius University - Constanţa, Aleea Universitatii 1, Campus, Constanţa;

Treasurer: Ileana Jitaru, Department of English and American Studies, Faculty of Letters, Ovidius University - Constanţa, Aleea Universitatii 1, Campus, Constanţa;

European Association for American Studies (EAAS)