"Women’s Roles, Place Attachment and the Socialist Nation in Cutezătorii Magazine. Representations in Comics Featuring Romanian Communist Pioneers "

Abstract

Socialism created materially and discursively an ideological context (and then tradition) to control social space and implicitly people’s experiences in society and space. The aim of my research is to identify representations of the women’s roles in communist Romania, as these were constructed by propaganda in comics for communist pioneers and published in Cutezătorii [The Daring Ones] magazine (1967-1989). My research material is made of comics where Romanian communist pioneers appear as characters. I discuss gender representations using discourse analysis and critical visual analysis. I interpret these gender representations in relation with the socialist nation and place meanings, as constructed by the official discourse. My research explores the meanings of place and the attachments created, which rest on the respective meanings. I consider the role of this official discourse about place meanings in constructing students’ place attachments (i.e., readers of the respective magazine). I concluded that the egalitarian ideology of the communist regime did not affect the patriarchal and the engendered inequalities in the Romanian society because the paternalist communist state supported the patriarchal regime. Comics show a patriarchal society despite the communist propaganda about an egalitarian society. In addition, I showed how, in the analysed comics, which were part of the popular culture, nature- and culture-induced place attachment was influenced by a gendered socialisation with space.

Perspectives on gender in Romania

“…Gender representations regarding Romanian society have already been analysed in close connection to the political, social, economic, and cultural realities of the historical periods of socialism and post-socialism (Miroiu, 2010(Miroiu, , 2020Cucu, 2019;Massino, 2019;Asociaţia COMMA, 2021;Fodor, 2021;Ghionea, 2021;Ilovan, 2022).…”

“…Benevolent attitudes are a manifestation of benevolent sexism. Such messages naturalise instead of recognise gender inequality in the Romanian society (Ilovan, 2022). Party members or regular citizens do not confront, or raise awareness about such issues when organising demonstrations, lectures, and workshops.…”

“…After the economic crisis of 2008-2009, there were identified "new phenomena with specific gender influence" (Miroiu, 2020, p. 5) and this prompted research and editorial activity in connection to the new societal situation (Băluță, 2011;Păunescu, 2012;Tăriceanu, 2014). Researchers' interests also focused on subjects such as the relationship between the construction of body, gender, and ideology in communist propaganda , the correlation between national identity and gender (Fodor, 2013(Fodor, , 2014, or the production of gender and space in socialism and post-socialism (Lelea and Voiculescu, 2017;Ilovan, 2020Ilovan, , 2022.…”