ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates 'border identities' in the case of Romanian populations in Serbia and Ukraine living a few kilometres away from the Romanian and European Union (EU) border and measures the impact of this border on their constructions of identity. It provides a particular case study: a discourse analysis of Romanian-speaking 'ordinary citizens' living in border cities and regions in Serbia and Ukraine a few kilometres away from the Romanian and EU border. The chapter focuses on the impact of the border on the identity of Romanians living on the other side of the Romanian and EU borders. It shows how commitment to Romanian identity can be understood as an instrumental attachment. The chapter also shows the emergence of multicultural, multiple and multi-layered identities in regions with a particular past and recent history. It concludes by showing that in their discourse, ordinary Romanians on the 'wrong' side of the border exhibit a 'nuanced' Romanian national identity.
