Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies

Editorial

The second issue of Volume 8 of the Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies maintains the publication's tradition of consistently presenting high-quality scholarly articles and reviews on a diverse range of topics related to Romanian culture and its international expansion. Divided into the following sections: literature, translation studies, cultural studies, anthropology, history, linguistics, education, and book reviews, it develops critical perspectives on various aspects of Romanian identity, written in English, French, and Portuguese. The rich linguistic range of the present academic inquiries is owed to the renowned authors from Turkey, Jordan, Canada, and Romania.

The section entitled Literature includes four articles discussing themes on symbolist poetry, the genre of the novel, trauma literature, and intertextual elements identified in a twentieth-century Romanian novel. Cristina Mirela Nicolaescu from Yozgat-Bozok University, Turkey, explores the poetic message in George Bacovia’s works. Laith Ibrahim, from the University of Mutah, Jordan, revises the historical methodology and the theoretical foundations of the novel genre. Gabriela Chiciudean, from 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, Romania, engages the theoretical approach of Cathy Caruth to investigate trauma represented as a wound in the mind in the novel Lizoanca at 11 by Doina Ruști. Lucian Vasile Bâgiu, from 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, proposes a comparative reading of Mihail Sadoveanu’s novel, The Golden Bough, James George Frazer’s anthropological approach in his study on magic and religion and Virgil’s Aeneid. He suggests an analogy with the Egyptian hermetic philosophy.

Translation Studies immerses readers in the exploration of Western medieval texts. Simona Ailenii, from Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, analyses the lexicon of power in French Arthurian, Galician-Portuguese, and Romanian texts, focusing on their linguistic and stylistic features. Laura Lazăr Zăvăleanu, from Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, opens the Cultural Studies section with a study that identifies in The Teachings of Neagoe Basarab to his son Theodosie the inaugural manifestations of Romanian Humanism, which came in the wake of hesychast Byzantine Humanism. Gabriela Hlușcu and Marius-Mircea Crișan, from the West University of Timișoara, continue with an examination of Tod Browning’s 1931 film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula (1897). They analyse how the film transposes Stoker’s acoustic strategies into cinematic language through Bela Lugosi’s vocal performance and the minimalist soundscape of the film, arguing that the transnational identity of the actor shaped Dracula’s Gothic allure.  Arleen Ionescu and Dumitru Tucan, from the West University of Timișoara, complete the first part of their study about the representation of the Romanian Holocaust in testimonial literature and films by adding how Romanians started to come to terms with their Holocaust history in postcommunism.

Anthropology includes an analysis of 245 small holy cards preserved in a private collection in Căpleni, a village in Romania. Mária Szikszai, from Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, traces the origins, functions, and connections of these holy cards with local religious societies. Dwelling on History, the following three articles present comparative perspectives on regional and European events as discussed by three scholars from the Romanian Academy, George Barițiu Institute of History in Cluj-Napoca. Ela Cosma provides a legal historical comparison of various ethnic marked consuetudinary laws from Southeastern and Central Europe during the Middle Ages and early modern history. Victor V. Vizauer analyses the diplomatic relations between the Principality of Transylvania and France during the period 1541–1559, under the leadership of Queen Isabella Szapolya (Jagiellon). A particular emphasis is placed on the 1558 alliance project between the two countries. Attila Varga studies the German Freemason settlers' contribution to the modernisation of Banat society, as well as to the success of the Romanian national movement during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

In the Linguistics section, Gabriel-Dan Bărbuleț, from 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, examines effective language-teaching strategies for international students learning Romanian amidst increasing globalisation. In the section entitled Education, Elena Meștereagă, from Nicolaus Olahus Technological High School, Orăștie, Romania, and Daniel Dejica, from Politehnica University Timisoara, investigate the role of out-of-class contexts (OOCCs) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning among Romanian high school students, emphasising how informal environments complement formal instruction.

Book reviews, the closing section of the issue, delves into two thought-provoking analyses of recent publications. Emmanuel Blaise Tapon from Laval University, Québec, examines Daniela Hăisan’s study of Oscar Wilde’s tales in Romanian translation, which was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2022. Diana Alexandra Avram (Șandru), from 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, reviews Un dicționar al exilului feminin românesc. Autoare emblematice, volume reprezentative [A Dictionary of Romanian Women Writers' Literary Exile: Emblematic Authors, Representative Works], coordinated by Emanuela Ilie and published by Eikon Publishing House in 2024.

Extending our deepest appreciation and highest regard, we thank all the contributors to this issue. The recognition of the journal on a global scale continues to develop on account of the highly professional engagement of scholars, reviewers and members of the scientific advisory board. We are honoured by the commitment of our twenty-four peer reviewers from Portugal, Israel, and Romania and our permanent scientific community members from Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Sweden, and Romania.  Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies is published in collaboration with Lund University, Sweden, Granada University, Spain, 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, Romania, and the Romanian Language Institute, Bucharest, and welcomes contributions from scholars worldwide.

Bianca-Maria Bucur

Reviewer Board for this issue

Mona Arhire, Transilvania University of Brașov, Romania

Ileana Benga, The Folklore Archive of the Romanian Academy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Corina Bozedean, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureş (UMPhST), Romania

Rodica Gabriela Chira, 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, Romania

Sorin Ciutacu, West University of Timișoara, Romania

Roxana Elena Doncu, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, Bucharest, Romania

Irina Ana Drobot, Technical University of Civil Engineering, Bucharest, Romania

Carmen Duțu, Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Bucharest, Romania

Ioan Fărmuș, Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania

Cristina Gherman, Technical University of Civil Engineering, Bucharest, Romania

Crinela Holom, Center of Population Studies, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Laura Jiga Iliescu, Constantin Brăiloiu Institute of Ethnography and Folklore, Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania

Mădălina Elena Mandici, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Romania

Veronica Manole, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Joana Matos, University of Porto, Portugal

Silviu Mihăilă, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

Speranța Milancovici, Vasile Goldiș Western University of Arad, Romania

Corina Mitrulescu, Nicolae Bălcescu Land Forces Academy, Sibiu, Romania

Valentin Orga, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Raul Pașcalău, University of Life Sciences King Mihai I of Romania, Timișoara, Romania

Dana Percec, West University of Timișoara, Romania

Ana Magdaleana Petraru, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Romania

Ottmar Trașcă, Romanian Academy, George Barițiu Institute of History, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Edward Waysband, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

The editorial activities undertaken by Associate Editor Lucian Vasile Bâgiu for this issue included a visit to Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Bucharest, Romania, which was partially funded through Order no. 4067/28.03.2024 issued by the Romanian Ministry of Education, and a training programme to Charles University in Prague, Czechia, which was funded by Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI), through PN-IV-P2-2.2-MC-2024-0071, contract MC 261 from 22/11/2024.

The Editorial Board of Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies used the anti-plagiarism software https://sistemantiplagiat.ro/ provided by 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, Romania to determine the originality of all manuscripts.