Lexington Books
Pages: 326
•
Trim: 6½ x 9⅜
978-1-4985-0109-5 • Hardback • June 2015 • $149.00 • (£115.00)
978-1-4985-0111-8 • Paperback • April 2019 • $53.99 • (£42.00)
978-1-4985-0110-1 • eBook • June 2015 • $51.00 • (£39.00)
Lavinia Stan is associate professor of political science at St. Francis Xavier University, Canada.
Diane Vancea is professor of economic studies and vice-rector of the Ovidius University of Constanta, Romania.
Table of Content
Preface – Paul E. Sum
Introduction – Lavinia Stan
Part I. Expectations for a Democratic Future and Worries about the Communist Past
Chapter 1. The Start of a New Era? Romanians React to Ceauşescu’s Fall – Katherine Verdery
Chapter 2. Coming to Terms with the Communist Past: Democracy and Memory in Romania –Marius Stan and Vladimir Tismaneanu
Chapter 3. Public Space and the Material Legacies of Communism in Bucharest – Duncan Light and Craig Young
Part II. Politics from Below: Identity, Civil Society, and the Media
Chapter 4. Ethnicity, Nationalism and the ‘Minority Regime’ – Levente Salat and Csaba Zoltán Novak
Chapter 5. On Women, Feminism and Democracy – Mihaela Miroiu
Chapter 6. Political Culture and Participation: Between Enthusiasm and Indifference – Radu Cinpoes
Chapter 7. Spectacular Alterations, Few Changes in Romania’s Media – Peter Gross
Part III. Politics from Above: Representation, Parties, and Presidents
Chapter 8. Representation, Incumbency and the Quality of Romanian Democracy – Ronald F. King and Cosmin Gabriel Marian
Chapter 9. Unsocial Democrats: The PSD’s Negative Role in Romania’s Democracy – Tom Gallagher
Chapter 10. House of Cards: The Presidency from Iliescu to Basescu – Lavinia Stan and Diane Vancea
Part IV. The EU Factor: Accession, Rule of Law, and Human Rights
Chapter 11. Romania's Commitment to the Rule of Law? – Dennis Deletant
Chapter 12. Environmental Network Governance in Romania– Cristina E. Parau
Conclusion – Monica Ciobanu
A comprehensive view of Romania 25 years after the collapse of Ceausescu’s regime is presented in this collection edited by Stan and Vancea. The book is organized into four parts. In the first part, contributors take note of the period immediately following the removal of Ceausescu, including letters from Romanian citizens in the 1989–1990 period detailing fears and hopes for Romania’s future. The second part takes on issues of identity, political participation, and the media, and the third part focuses on political issues such as representation, parties, and political institutions. The influence of the EU on Romanian human rights and environmental measures is considered in the final part of the book. The chapters present first-rate scholarship from some of the most well-known experts in this area and a great deal of methodological diversity as well. The diversity in methods and content is a definitive strength of the book. Marius Stan and Vladimir Tismaneanu’s chapter on coming to terms with the communist past stands out. Though the focus of the book is on Romania, much is applicable to the other post-Communist countries in the region. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate and research collections.
— Choice Reviews