Peter Gross Releases A Groundbreaking Book

“The Cultural Core of Media Systems. The Romanian Case” is going to influence how we conceptualize media systems

By Marius Dragomir

“One of the most authoritative voices in media studies,” as Lavinia Stan of the St. Francis Xavier University in Canada called him, Peter Gross is publishing soon what I believe is going to be a groundbreaking media study. Gross takes a less tested approach in studying the media. He tries to explain the development of the media through a cultural approach. In a review of the book, Paolo Mancini, a professor at University of Perugia, Italy, wrote that in large part “the nature of media systems is shaped by the past and present culture.”

Gross applies this refreshing and complex framework to the Romanian case, which he has analyzed at large throughout his eminent career.

Professor emeritus in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennessee and adjunct faculty in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Iowa, Gross wrote a book that will definitely become a go-to resource not only for the readers trying to understand the complexities of the media development in Romania, but also for experts who write on media-related issues.

Gross’ book, which I partly know as the author kindly shared parts of it during its production, offers a solid theoretical basis that, in my view, has to be included in studies aiming at exhaustively analyzing media systems. Although not the sole approach, the cultural dimension is essential in explaining the overall context and factors affecting the various developments in a media system. Gross’ book superbly illustrates that. In fact, as part of my work, I will strongly consider his approach and include it in future country reports and studies that I will embark on.

Besides the theoretical model, Gross’ book also sheds light on the Romanian historical realities as “Romanians lived under physical, administrative, and ideological dominance of various empires.” These realities create a “culture-driven understanding of Romania’s media system” that is essential to fully grasp some of its characteristics.

As Mihai Coman of the University of Bucharest, said, “Peter Gross’ book creates a change of Copernican perspective to the set of studies related to the transition from communism.”

I can’t agree more.

Marius Dragomir is the director of the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC), the publisher of this Medium blog.

To pre-order Peter Gross’ book, visit this site.