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At the beginning of the twenty-first century, many Western tourists have become interested in visiting Transylvania, a region in the central part of Romania, in Eastern Europe, in order to discover the stories and legends about Count Dracula, a mysterious and ruthless vampire, who, some believe, might have inhabited various solitary places in the heart of Transylvania. Some of these tourists may know that the Dracula vampire story originated in a novel written by Bram Stoker, who placed the vampire in Transylvania, a faraway mythic space, and the legends woven around this fictional character have created an intriguing link between the vampire figure and a real-life, fifteenth-century Romanian ruler, Vlad Ţepeş/Dracula. As a result of Western media representations of the Dracula myth, in time, Romania has acquired (and developed) a connection with the vampire myth. Therefore, this paper sets out to examine the impact of the Dracula myth on the postcommunist society, by exploring the historical and cultural dimensions of the "Dracula connection," reflected in the dichotomy between the Romanian general perception about Vlad Dracula as a medieval ruler and "the other" Romanian version of the Dracula vampire persona loosely based on Vlad Dracula (a version constructed for a Western "audience" for commercial and touristic purposes). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I seek to challenge the dominant modes of conceiving the relationship between memory and national identity, and in so doing offer analysts of nationalism an improved understanding of the dynamics of national identity formation. The concept of collective memory is invoked regularly in attempts to explain the pervasiveness and power of nationalism. I argue that the concept is misused routinely in this context, and instead I employ a `social agency' approach to theorizing, whereby memory is conceived in a more limited and cogent manner. I argue that it is important to distinguish clearly between memory and mythology, both of which are essential to understanding national identity, for not only are the two concepts distinct, they can also act in opposition to each other. Following from this I introduce the notion of a `mythscape', the temporally and spatially extended discursive realm in which the myths of the nation are forged, transmitted, negotiated, and reconstructed constantly. Through employing the idea of a mythscape we can relate memory and mythology to each other in a theoretically profitable way. KEYWORDS: Memory; mythology; nationalism; national identity; mythscape; history

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Copyright of Acta Sociologica (0186-6028) is the property of Instituto de Investigaciones Filosoficas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Acta Sociologica (0186-6028) is the property of Instituto de Investigaciones Filosoficas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Balkans have long been a land of myths and symbols that have influenced the actions of ordinary people and political leaders alike. The recent bloody wars of the former Yugoslavia after 1990 have brought to live ancient legends, as well as contemporary myths used as tools to justify and fuel etnic hatred and conflict. Today, as the region moves towards European integration, new symbols arose, some ready to replace the old ones. Along with them, the Balkans have a real chance to move out of the darkness into a brighter future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos de Literatura is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present analysis has set itself the purpose to approach the mythical dimension of the advertising performance by identifying the specific traits of several myths: the myth of returning to the origins, the erotic myth and the heroic myth. Among these I have focused my attention especially on the last one (the hero's myth) which can often be spotted in advertisements, endowed with a partially modified image in comparison to the classic perspective. The intention is to prove that advertising reactivates mythical structures which then it organizes and also allows the possibility of recognizing the old levels of significances. In this article I have shown the hypostases of the hero in advertising depending on the relationships between the product and the consumer. The approach is based on examples taken from the Romanian advertising performances which represented also the basis for my reconstruction of the heroic profile within the contemporary data. Finally, I have underlined some of the myths' features discovered inside the advertising performance. The analysis of these characteristics relies on the definition of the myth from the narrative perspective, as a sacred and exemplary history, as it was suggested by Mircea Eliade and Claude Lévi- Strauss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper consists of an exploration of three basic discourses on myth: premodern, modern and postmodern. Premodern discourse does not speak about myth but from myth as a living reality. Modern discourse introduces logos as basis for speaking critically about muthos. Postmodern discourse explores the variety of ways in which myth functions, emphasising the important role played by the socio-political context in which myths are used. In conclusion, the function of myth is linked to culture and ideology and the question is raised as to whether, and in what ways, meaning - and also the meaning of myth - operates in the service of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]