Paper short abstract:

In this paper I want to discuss a form of collective fear which occurred in some of Romania's postcommunist contexts of the 1990's: xenophobia. Later on, as a result of people's anxiety generated by the current economic crisis, this type of collective fear was replaced by xenophilia.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper I want to discuss a form of a collective fear that could be found in Romania's postcommunist contexts: the xenophobia. As xenophobia is a factor both for constructing and maintaining social and cultural boundaries, it entails the misrecognition of the "otherness" of various cultures. This type of collective fear was epitomized in the infamous slogan that appeared in the 1990's: "We don't sell our country!". Even though this slogan lost most of its acuity by the middle of the 2000's, it still perpetuated some influence. However, as the risks associated with the current economic crisis loomed over various facets of Romanian society, by 2011 a process of metamorphosis occurred. From government's leasing of valuable mineral resources towards foreign organizations, to individuals' searching jobs abroad, many Romanians seem to have abandoned the prejudices associated with xenophobia in favour of its opposite: xenophilia. Therefore, paradoxically, the anxiety generated by the economic crisis is one of the main reasons why the process of transition from xenophobia to xenophilia occurs in certain contexts. My paper contains the results of a qualitative research based on interviews.