ABSTRACT
Romanian studies in North America and Western Europe constitutes a small but growing field of scholarship in history, political science, economics, and, to a lesser degree, literature. Romania is an integral part of the Balkans, and a number of scholars have put Romania into the comparative context of the peninsula as a whole in terms of political, socio-economic, and cultural development. The best research on religion in Romanian history and politics is produced by Earl Pope, who has shown the intimate connection between religion and nationalism in the Balkan country. Nationalism has also shaped Romanian foreign policy, for the quest for autonomy and maximum possible sovereignty is directly related to nationalism. The conflict between Budapest and Bucharest on the treatment of ethnic Hungarians in Romania only adds to the instability of Eastern Europe. Most of the literature examines Romania's economic underdevelopment and its effects upon all aspects of societal life, including political behavior.
