An inquiry into the evolution of Romania's public sphere

Authors

  • Iulia Anghel Ecological University of Bucharest
  • Elena Banciu Ecological University of Bucharest
  • Flavius Pană Ecological University of Bucharest
  • Ana Birtalan Ecological University of Bucharest

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v6i1.24133

Keywords:

public sphere, post-communism, modernity, Romania, transition, digitalization

Abstract

The concept of ‘public sphere’ remains one of the most disputed landmarks within the inquiries and debates upon sources and legacies of Romanian transition. Drawing on the arguments of Frazer, Hauser, and others, the present article argues that nowadays reconfiguration of the public sphere in Romania is influenced by ascent of hybrid public-private arenas enabled by a rhetorical function of the internet. The article discusses the sources, genesis context and evolutions of Romanian public sphere, tackling issues as role of diasporic communities in reshaping publics’ categories, democratic balance, and the notion of legitimacy, highlighting also possible outcomes stemmed from ongoing multiplication of modernity. The research employs a two-step methodology: the first section of the article proposes a conceptual reconstruction of the public sphere term, exploiting the peculiar casuistry of Romanian communist and post-communist scenarios, while the second part analyses the evolution prospects of public sphere in the Eastern Europe and not only.

Author Biographies

Iulia Anghel, Ecological University of Bucharest

Iulia Anghel, PhD, is a lecturer at the Faculty of Communication Sciences, at the Ecological University of Bucharest, where she teaches courses on the management of public relations campaigns and methodology of research in communication studies. The main fields of interest include virtual activism and cyber cultures, modernization theories, geopolitics and post-communism.

Elena Banciu, Ecological University of Bucharest

Elena Banciu, PhD, is the Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, at the Ecological University of Bucharest, where she coordinates teaching and research activities within the field of political communication, ethics, and organizational culture. The main domains of interest include philosophy of mind, applied ethics, political communication, mediatization and digitalization of politics in Eastern Europe, electoral rhetoric and discourses.

Flavius Pană, Ecological University of Bucharest

Flavius Pană, PhD, is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Communication Sciences, at the Ecological University of Bucharest, where he teaches courses on public relations theory, techniques of communication in public relations and multimedia techniques. His main areas of research are internal communication, branding in multimedia, strategies and techniques in digital public relations.

Ana Birtalan, Ecological University of Bucharest

Ana Maria Birtalan, PhD, is an Associate Lecturer at the Faculty of Communication Sciences, at the Ecological University of Bucharest, where she coordinates teaching and research activities on ESP (English for specific purposes) focusing on language, discourse analysis and conversational strategies in specialized fields like business, psychology, public relations, European studies etc. The main areas of her research reunite themes such as pragmatic analysis of political discourses and semantic and structural analysis of public rhetoric in post-communism.

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the front gate to the Memorial House of Constantin Brâncuși in Hobița, Gorj County, Romania

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Published

2023-05-15

How to Cite

Anghel, I., Banciu, E., Pană, F., & Birtalan, A. (2023). An inquiry into the evolution of Romania’s public sphere. Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies, 6(1), 119–145. https://doi.org/10.35824/sjrs.v6i1.24133

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2023): Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies

Section

Anthropology

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Copyright (c) 2023 Iulia Anghel, Elena Banciu, Flavius Pană, Ana Birtalan

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