Ruxandra Trandafoiu

Enrolled September 1999

Submitted thesis September 2003

Viva March 2004
Director of studies: Dr. Roza Tsagarousianou

Topic: Construction of nationhood in the press, a comparison between the articulation of national identity and nationalism in the discourse of the English, Scottish and Romanian national dailies

PhD Experience

Tips that I consider useful as a result of my experience: the research design and rationalisation of all methods of research need to be spot on, otherwise one can encounter difficulties in writing up and defending the thesis, particularly in the case of comparative work.

Being able to summarise the topic in no more than a sentence using 3-4 key words is usually a good start. Similarly, one needs to establish a relationship of mutual respect, friendship and trust with the supervisor, which can prove useful during inherent difficult times.

If possible, one also needs to focus one hundred per cent on the PhD without the distractions of another job.

Attending research meetings to discuss ideas with fellow colleagues is important, as is any opportunity to obtain feedback, including the transfer from MPhil to PhD during which I personally received plenty of good tips and managed to focus towards what lay ahead.

Starting to write up relatively early also helps find weaknesses in research and the possible gaps that need to be addressed. The PhD experience is a one off and it can be tolerated easier if one thinks of the key aim, which is an academic career that these days is almost impossible without a PhD.

The thought of the freedom that follows the successful defence of the PhD, the confidence given by the successful management of a large individual project can help surpass the difficult moments that come with the lack of motivation and sheer length of the experience.

Publications

‘The whole greater than the sum of its parts: an investigation into the existence of European identity, its unity and its divisions’, in Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, Vol. 3(3), 2006: 91-108.

Role of Work Migrants in International Relations: the Romanian Diaspora and Legal Rights in Europe, in 'REGIO Minorities, Politics, Society' Sep. 2006. (forthcoming)

Being The 'Other': Imagining the West From Romania, in Yosefa Loshitzky (ed.) 2006, Fortress Europe and Its 'Others': Cultural Representations in Film, Media and the Arts. London: Routledge. (forthcoming)

Racism and Symbolic Geography in Romania: The Ghettoisation of the Gypsies, in 'Global Built Environmental Review' Volume 3 No. 2 - 2003

Integration and Nationalism: A Symbolic Reconfiguration of Europe, in Ovidiu Pecican (ed.) 1999, Romania and the European Union, EFES: Cluj

Post Doctoral Research

Research project entitled 'Tales of Strawberry Pickers: Romanian Work Migrants in Europe' looking at identity mechanisms constructed by temporary work diasporas using new media technologies, including Internet and mobile phones, but also at the cultural and economic impact on the home country during the process of EU enlargement, and the impact on the legal system in host countries (Italy, Spain, UK, Portugal).

Contact details

Dr. Ruxandra Trandafoiu
Lecturer in Media
Edge Hill University
Department of Media
St. Helens Road
Ormskirk
Lancashire
L39 4QP

Phone: +44(0) 1695 584145
Mobile: +44(0) 7970429691

E-mail: trandar@edgehill.ac.uk