The RO COUNTRY IMAGES research project investigates the discursive construction of country image and identity by various social actors in Romania, taking into account the macro-context of a globalized culture and promotional practices adopted by countries worldwide and the specific context of increased movement of people - migrants and refugees - within Europe (concomitant with the rise of nationalist right wing parties and their anti-immigration discourse). The unprecedented European refugees’ crisis has revealed different positions and discourses of the “old” versus the “new” EU members and stirred heated debates within countries about the consequences and the future of EU and the benefits of EU membership. Consequently, the status of countries, the country image and the national identity have become intertwined recurrent topics in the public debates, not only on the agenda of experts and government as before. The main objective of this project is to longitudinally analyse and explain how different Romanian social actors (government, media, and citizens) discursively construct the country image and identity of Romania, after the refugees' crisis in 2015. It is considered that these various actors reproduce, in their discourses, certain representations about Romania and Romanians, in terms of their identity, how they are perceived. The analysis aims (1) to trace how these representations have evolved in time (reconfiguration of topics or discourse strategies); (2) to identify the role of media in constructing the debates; (3) to explore to what extent citizens re-contextualize the political and media discourses in order to (re)construct their own views about Romania and Romanians. While focused on Romania and aimed at informing Romanian policy making, the study has an intrinsic European dimension as it constantly seeks to reflect the representations of ‘sameness’ and ‘difference’ between ‘us’ (Romanians, Romania) in relation with ‘the others’ (migrants, EU, etc).

   Cercetarea explorează modul cum utilizează copiii de sub 8 ani internetul și media mobile și convergente (e.g. smartphone-ul, tableta, consolele de jocuri) acasă și în alte contexte familiale. O atenție specială este acordată potențialelor beneficii și riscuri ale utilizării acestor dispozitive digitale, precum și percepției membrilor familiei asupra acestor tehnologii. În România cercetarea s-a desfăşurat între martie şi decembrie 2015 şi a presupus intervievarea a 11 familii care aveau cel puțin un copil de 5-8 ani utilizator de tehnologii digitale conectate la internet.

   Behind the Iron Curtains - B.I.C. 70 project is promoting the history of Europe 70 years after WWII, and is fostering a sense of ownership for how the European Union develops. The project emphasises the contrast of the evolving dictatorship of the party state and its crimes against the democratic system of the EU nowadays and intends to make the citizens aware over the opportunities for societal and intercultural engagement at EU level. The two main pillars of the project are transnational research and non-formal educational about the post war period of Eastern- and Central-Europe, with a focus on how developed the totalitarian regimes in this region. Moreover the results of the workshops and researches will be used for educational purposes all over the European Union and will draw up general conclusions for the affirmation of the European identity and belonging.