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Europe as Christian Civilization: Romanian Orthodox Media and the Contemporary Discourse on European Integration

Magura, Daria LU (2026) EUHR18 20261
European Studies
Abstract
This thesis examines how the Romanian Orthodox Church constructs and articulates a
discourse on European integration and Europe through its institutional media, focusing on selected episodes of Europa Christiana, broadcasted by Trinitas TV between 2016 and 2019.
By applying Critical Discourse Analysis, especially Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, the study analyzes how meanings of Europe, the European Union, secularism,modernity, Christianity, and Romanian national identity are articulated within Romanian Orthodox public communication. The research is situated within debates on religion and European integration, Orthodox Christianity in post-communist Eastern Europe, multiple modernities theory, and the mediated constructions... (More)
This thesis examines how the Romanian Orthodox Church constructs and articulates a
discourse on European integration and Europe through its institutional media, focusing on selected episodes of Europa Christiana, broadcasted by Trinitas TV between 2016 and 2019.
By applying Critical Discourse Analysis, especially Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, the study analyzes how meanings of Europe, the European Union, secularism,modernity, Christianity, and Romanian national identity are articulated within Romanian Orthodox public communication. The research is situated within debates on religion and European integration, Orthodox Christianity in post-communist Eastern Europe, multiple modernities theory, and the mediated constructions of European identity. The analysis is based on a corpus of transcribed televised discussions addressing particularly themes regarding the meaning of Europe and Romanian position within the European Union. By examining vocabulary, recurring themes, evaluative language, intertextual references, and discursive strategies, the thesis investigates the Orthodox media discourse and reaches important conclusions. The discourse is not Eurosceptic or anti-modern, neither is Euro-enthusiastic and/or progressive. It combines conservative and Christian values with an acknowledgment of the EU’s socio-economical and geopolitical importance. The discourse can be labeled as an ambivalent Orthodox Europeanism. (Less)
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author
Magura, Daria LU
supervisor
organization
course
EUHR18 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
European integration, Romanian Orthodox Church, Critical Discourse Analysis, religion and media, European identity, European Studies
language
English
id
9241267
date added to LUP
2026-09-16 16:10:17
date last changed
2026-09-16 16:10:17
@misc{9241267,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines how the Romanian Orthodox Church constructs and articulates a
discourse on European integration and Europe through its institutional media, focusing on selected episodes of Europa Christiana, broadcasted by Trinitas TV between 2016 and 2019.
By applying Critical Discourse Analysis, especially Norman Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, the study analyzes how meanings of Europe, the European Union, secularism,modernity, Christianity, and Romanian national identity are articulated within Romanian Orthodox public communication. The research is situated within debates on religion and European integration, Orthodox Christianity in post-communist Eastern Europe, multiple modernities theory, and the mediated constructions of European identity. The analysis is based on a corpus of transcribed televised discussions addressing particularly themes regarding the meaning of Europe and Romanian position within the European Union. By examining vocabulary, recurring themes, evaluative language, intertextual references, and discursive strategies, the thesis investigates the Orthodox media discourse and reaches important conclusions. The discourse is not Eurosceptic or anti-modern, neither is Euro-enthusiastic and/or progressive. It combines conservative and Christian values with an acknowledgment of the EU’s socio-economical and geopolitical importance. The discourse can be labeled as an ambivalent Orthodox Europeanism.}},
  author       = {{Magura, Daria}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Europe as Christian Civilization: Romanian Orthodox Media and the Contemporary Discourse on European Integration}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}