Weighting Differences

Irrespective of the level of analysis, identity remains a vague concept, slippery, and insufficiently elaborated and defined. Be it individual or collective, ethnical or social, local or general, regional (e.g. the EU) or global, identity is a recurrent subject in political debates. Situated on the edge of history, anthropology, sociology, political science, and psychology it increasingly becomes a leading paradigm in the area of social sciences. Starting from the broader European perspective, this volume has a multidisciplinary approach and gathers relevant works of internationally renowned scholars who tackle questions related to the Romanian identity: Who are the Romanians? What is the essence of their identity and how has it evolved along history? What are their primary qualities and flaws? How do Romanians perceive their Europeanness and how do they assume their European condition? With no claim to unique answers, the book provides a multi-layered view of what Romanian identity means in contemporary period and how it develops in the broader European context. By challenging the common sense understanding of identity, we raise even more questions to be anasered by further research.