THE STRANGER AMONG US IN COMICS FROM CUTEZĂTORII MAGAZINE. CONSTRUCTING CHILDREN’S POLITICAL IDENTITIES THROUGH INTERACTION WITH THE OTHER IN COMMUNIST ROMANIA

A product of popular culture, comics are in tune with the societal context that created them. This article aims to present the hegemonic narrative, reading and messages of comics for communist pioneers in Cutezătorii [The Daring Ones] Magazine. To do so, the research material considered is made up o...

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Main Author: Oana-Ramona ILOVAN
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca 2021-10-01
Series:Territorial Identity and Development
Subjects:
Online Access:http://territorial-identity.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/5_Ilovan_TID_2_2021.pdf
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author Oana-Ramona ILOVAN
author_facet Oana-Ramona ILOVAN
author_sort Oana-Ramona ILOVAN
collection DOAJ
description A product of popular culture, comics are in tune with the societal context that created them. This article aims to present the hegemonic narrative, reading and messages of comics for communist pioneers in Cutezătorii [The Daring Ones] Magazine. To do so, the research material considered is made up of two comics focused on Otherness and Romanians’ relationships with state institutions close to the political factor. Qualitative content analysis was performed on both text and images. Findings uncovered a partial view of communist Romania and of the workings of propaganda, because, beside their entertainment value, these comics can be read as political texts or statements. These comics show how the political elite perceived those who wanted to leave Romania (illegally) and those who, of foreign origin, visited this country. Both comics series glorify the collaboration with the Militia, the State Security, and their surveillance methods (through technology and responsible employees and citizens). Communist pioneers are plain clothes detectives who help these institutions to gather their information, catch criminals, and keep the society under control. Because cultural representations impacted the Romanian society in multiple ways during the totalitarian communist rule, a critical reconsidering of cultural products of the past is necessary in order to better understand the present.
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spelling doaj.art-30af2eff14ed421a83a71f6583bc70e42023-06-14T07:21:16ZengBabes-Bolyai University, Cluj-NapocaTerritorial Identity and Development2537-48502021-10-01629712010.23740/TID220215THE STRANGER AMONG US IN COMICS FROM CUTEZĂTORII MAGAZINE. CONSTRUCTING CHILDREN’S POLITICAL IDENTITIES THROUGH INTERACTION WITH THE OTHER IN COMMUNIST ROMANIAOana-Ramona ILOVAN0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2075-1808Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Geography, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIAA product of popular culture, comics are in tune with the societal context that created them. This article aims to present the hegemonic narrative, reading and messages of comics for communist pioneers in Cutezătorii [The Daring Ones] Magazine. To do so, the research material considered is made up of two comics focused on Otherness and Romanians’ relationships with state institutions close to the political factor. Qualitative content analysis was performed on both text and images. Findings uncovered a partial view of communist Romania and of the workings of propaganda, because, beside their entertainment value, these comics can be read as political texts or statements. These comics show how the political elite perceived those who wanted to leave Romania (illegally) and those who, of foreign origin, visited this country. Both comics series glorify the collaboration with the Militia, the State Security, and their surveillance methods (through technology and responsible employees and citizens). Communist pioneers are plain clothes detectives who help these institutions to gather their information, catch criminals, and keep the society under control. Because cultural representations impacted the Romanian society in multiple ways during the totalitarian communist rule, a critical reconsidering of cultural products of the past is necessary in order to better understand the present. http://territorial-identity.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/5_Ilovan_TID_2_2021.pdfcommunist propagandaofficial visual discourseedutainmentemigrationforeigners
spellingShingle Oana-Ramona ILOVAN
THE STRANGER AMONG US IN COMICS FROM CUTEZĂTORII MAGAZINE. CONSTRUCTING CHILDREN’S POLITICAL IDENTITIES THROUGH INTERACTION WITH THE OTHER IN COMMUNIST ROMANIA
Territorial Identity and Development
communist propaganda
official visual discourse
edutainment
emigration
foreigners
title THE STRANGER AMONG US IN COMICS FROM CUTEZĂTORII MAGAZINE. CONSTRUCTING CHILDREN’S POLITICAL IDENTITIES THROUGH INTERACTION WITH THE OTHER IN COMMUNIST ROMANIA
title_full THE STRANGER AMONG US IN COMICS FROM CUTEZĂTORII MAGAZINE. CONSTRUCTING CHILDREN’S POLITICAL IDENTITIES THROUGH INTERACTION WITH THE OTHER IN COMMUNIST ROMANIA
title_fullStr THE STRANGER AMONG US IN COMICS FROM CUTEZĂTORII MAGAZINE. CONSTRUCTING CHILDREN’S POLITICAL IDENTITIES THROUGH INTERACTION WITH THE OTHER IN COMMUNIST ROMANIA
title_full_unstemmed THE STRANGER AMONG US IN COMICS FROM CUTEZĂTORII MAGAZINE. CONSTRUCTING CHILDREN’S POLITICAL IDENTITIES THROUGH INTERACTION WITH THE OTHER IN COMMUNIST ROMANIA
title_short THE STRANGER AMONG US IN COMICS FROM CUTEZĂTORII MAGAZINE. CONSTRUCTING CHILDREN’S POLITICAL IDENTITIES THROUGH INTERACTION WITH THE OTHER IN COMMUNIST ROMANIA
title_sort stranger among us in comics from cutezatorii magazine constructing children s political identities through interaction with the other in communist romania
topic communist propaganda
official visual discourse
edutainment
emigration
foreigners
url http://territorial-identity.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/5_Ilovan_TID_2_2021.pdf
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AT oanaramonailovan strangeramongusincomicsfromcutezatoriimagazineconstructingchildrenspoliticalidentitiesthroughinteractionwiththeotherincommunistromania