The American Influence on Pop Culture and Cultural Narcissism in Post-Communist Romania

Din cuprins: • Definitions and Theoretical Framework • Narcissism as a Means of Cultural Interpretation • Global Flows and Americanization • Popular Culture in Communist Times • The Premises of a Culture of Narcissism in Romania • Narcissism in Romanian Popular Fiction n This book aims at an extended readership, from academia to the general public, from college students to whoever may be interested in understanding more about the world we live in. It approaches the American influence on postcommunist Romania from the angle of cultural studies, a viewpoint that has not been investigated enough and that is quite relevant to contemporary political and cultural events. The American influence through pop culture appears to have started during the communist regime and led to structural changes in Romanian society, playing an important role both in overthrowing the old establishment and in creating a framework for neoliberal ideologies. Ovidiu D. Solonar traces back the evolution of these intercultural interferences from an ideological and historical perspective and paves the way for further research in this field since, needless to say, the so-called American soft power is still going strong in Romania, as is elsewhere in the world. Last but not least, the book introduces cultural narcissism to Romania, as a pervasive aspect of today’s American popular culture and as a tool to explore the local society in terms of human relations, suggesting an original definition of this contentious concept. - Arthur Suciu