Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
The 10th edition of the American Studies Student Conference, co-organized and hosted by the Fulbright Commission
On April 16, 2019, the Fulbright Commission had the pleasure of hosting the 10th edition of the American Studies Student Conference organized by the Center for American Studies at the University of Bucharest. Established in 2006, the American Studies Student Conference has sought to bring together young scholars interested in exploring new facets of U.S. literature(s) and culture(s) and in reinterpreting critical paradigms in light of recent cultural developments. This 10th edition also represents a special moment in the evolution of the field of American Studies in Romania, bringing together, for the first time, undergraduate and graduate students from all American Studies programs in the country, based in Bucharest, Brasov, Constanta, Iaşi, and Timişoara, as well as international students from Austria and Spain.
The opening remarks were delivered by Melissa Wong, Strategic Content Coordinator, U.S. Embassy, by Octavian Roske, Head of the English Department, University of Bucharest, and by Rodica Mihaila, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission. Ms. Wong also delivered this year’s keynote address, titled “There Is No Place Like Home: American Culture of the Midwest”, and kindly took many questions from the audience, engaging in a lively and interesting dialogue with the 30+ participants.
The generous theme of the conference, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: Reconsidering American Values in the 21st Century”, afforded the participants and the audience ample opportunities to investigate and further discuss topics of interest in literary and cultural studies, from film culture to poetry and to representations of mental illness in American literature and culture. Also of interest was the newly established “Dan Grigorescu” prize, awarded by the jury to Oana Adina Ciobanu for her paper titled “’Category Is…’: Acceptance, Abandonment, and the Queer Family in RuPaul’s Drag Race”.