Social Issues - Tapa dura

Social Issues presents some of the social problems with which Romanian society has been confronted after the fall of Communism. National and international forms of migration are analysed in five essays dealing with the unseen face of migration, urban depopulation in Romania, the socio-economic aspects of migration, demographic trends in Romania, and with human trafficking. The construction of identity in both physical and virtual spaces is analysed in eight essays with a focus on social integration, on the redefinition of identity, on the reintegration on the labour market, on the right to self-determination, on identity in the network society, and on stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination. The health state of vulnerable populations is illustrated by four essays on the institutionalised elderly, on residents of lignite quarry areas, and on patients with liver disease. The book will appeal to professionals in the field of social sciences and to decision-makers at all economic, political, and social levels. It will also appeal to all those interested in interdisciplinary approaches.

Georgeta Rata is currently an Associate Professor at the Banat University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Timisoara, Romania. She holds a BA in French and English, and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Bucharest, Romania. Her main areas of interest include languages, communication, and education sciences. She has co-edited Applied Social Sciences: Economics and Politics (2013); Applied Social Sciences: Psychology, Physical Education and Social Medicine (2013); Applied Social Sciences: Social Work (2013); and Applied Social Sciences: Sociology (2013). Patricia-Luciana Runcan currently works as a Senior Lecturer at the West University of Timisoara, Romania. She holds a BA in Sociology from the same University, a BA in Law from the "Tibiscus" University of Timisoara, and a PhD in Sociology from the West University of Timisoara. Her main areas of interest include social work and sociology. She authored Depression in the Elderly (2013) and Supervision in Educational, Social and Medical Services Professions (2013), and co-edited Risks and Opportunities in the Romanian Social Work System (2011) and Applied Social Sciences: Social Work (2013).