"We are Romanian, Not Roma": Nation Branding and Postsocialist Discourses of Alterity. (8th October 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kaneva, Nadia; Popescu, Delia
• Is Part Of: Communication, culture, & critique. Volume 7:Number 4(2014:Dec.)
• Page Start: 506
• Page End: 523
• Publication Date: 2013-10-08
• Subjects: Communication -- Periodicals; Mass media -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals; Criticism -- Periodicals."com; 300.5
• DOI: 10.1111/cccr.12064
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1753-9129

Abstract

Abstract: This article examines how nation branding intersects with a transnational discourse about Europe's "Roma problem." We undertake a critical discourse analysis of "Romanians in Europe, " a branding campaign by the Romanian government, implemented in 2008. We address three main questions: What conditions led to the Romanian government's decision to intervene in the "Roma problem" discourse through a commercial campaign? How did the campaign construct a narrative of Romanian national identity, and what was the position allotted to Romania's Roma in it? Finally, what can we learn from this case about hierarchies of othering and the politics of national and transnational identities in Europe after the end of the Cold War and in conditions of growing mediatization and commercialization?