Overview of Romanian Emigration to America during Communism and Postcommunism: Cultural Dimensions of Quality of Life
Teodora Serban-Oprescu, George Serban-Oprescu

Abstract
The changes that have taken place in Central and Southeastern Europe over the past decades are remarkable in terms of speed and profound re-settings experienced. All these changes have put a decisive mark on the individuals’ perceptions on quality of life dimensions. Even though the major part of current scientific literature is dedicated to social and economic facets, social scientists are shifting focus to cultural dimensions of quality of life as determinants for emigration. This paper takes a close look at Romanian intellectual emigration movements during the Cold War and after in order to understand the changes taking place in cultural dimensions of quality of life and the transition from exile to diaspora and transnationalism in the case of Romanians. Opting for a non-biased look at various insertions into the subject, the study raises the Romanian experience to cosmopolitan dimensions rendering it part of the contemporary quality of life re-evaluations.

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