Post-Communist Romania at Twenty-Five

Lavinia Stan is associate professor of political science at St. Francis Xavier University. Diane Vancea is professor of economic studies and vice-rector of Ovidius University.

• Table of ContentPreface – Paul E. SumIntroduction – Lavinia StanPart I. Expectations for a Democratic Future and Worries about the Communist PastChapter 1. The Start of a New Era? Romanians React to Ceausescu’s Fall – Katherine VerderyChapter 2. Coming to Terms with the Communist Past: Democracy and Memory in Romania –Marius Stan and Vladimir TismaneanuChapter 3. Public Space and the Material Legacies of Communism in Bucharest – Duncan Light and Craig YoungPart II. Politics from Below: Identity, Civil Society, and the MediaChapter 4. Ethnicity, Nationalism and the ‘Minority Regime’ – Levente Salat and Csaba Zoltán NovakChapter 5. On Women, Feminism and Democracy – Mihaela MiroiuChapter 6. Political Culture and Participation: Between Enthusiasm and Indifference – Radu CinpoesChapter 7. Spectacular Alterations, Few Changes in Romania’s Media – Peter GrossPart III. Politics from Above: Representation, Parties, and PresidentsChapter 8. Representation, Incumbency and the Quality of Romanian Democracy – Ronald F. King and Cosmin Gabriel MarianChapter 9. Unsocial Democrats: The PSD’s Negative Role in Romania’s Democracy – Tom GallagherChapter 10. House of Cards: The Presidency from Iliescu to Basescu – Lavinia Stan and Diane VanceaPart IV. The EU Factor: Accession, Rule of Law, and Human RightsChapter 11. Romania's Commitment to the Rule of Law? – Dennis DeletantChapter 12. Environmental Network Governance in Romania– Cristina E. ParauConclusion – 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.