Ileana Popa Baird

Cultural Stereotypes- from Dracula's Myth to Contemporary Diasporic Productions Ileana Popa Baird

This book is focused on a highly topical theme which aims at investigating a remarkable phenomenon of identity-shaping and cross-cultural exchange. Starting from an analysis of Dracula as the epitomized image of the Balkans (and of Romania, more specifically) abroad, it provides a comprehensive historical and (con)textual investigation of the myth, enlarged to incorporate it into the fictions of exile, and to draw the reader's attention to the "demonic" dimension of the Balkan area in general, and the Romanian area in particular. By redefining the notion of cultural stereotypes, undertsood as stereotypes impressed upon us through a cultural channel (books, movies, cartoons, computer networks, musicals, etc.), this study points to the fact that they depict a movement in double direction: not only do cultures generate their own stereotypes, but they also perpetuate the stereotypes created by the "significant Other," urging us to reconsider categories such as "central" and "marginal" from a more complex perspective. The book is addressed to students and scholars with an interest in South-Eastern Europe and transatlantic encounters, diasporic, postcolonial and cultural studies, as well as to researchers in Sociology, History, Globalization and Ethnic Studies. Given the interest of the theme and the accesibility of the material presented, it is also directed to the larger reading public.