MAKING SPACE AND NATION MEANINGFUL THROUGH BORDERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS IN ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS, DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Lately, in Romania and abroad, research about the hidden agendas of educational discourses circulated by school textbooks has become richer. This research focuses on the process of bordering that took place in 1918 and the creation of Greater Romania and on the new borders and their representations...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Territorial Identity and Development |
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| Online Access: | http://territorial-identity.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5_Ilovan_TID_2_2020.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797804464192618496 |
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| author | Oana-Ramona ILOVAN |
| author_facet | Oana-Ramona ILOVAN |
| author_sort | Oana-Ramona ILOVAN |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lately, in Romania and abroad, research about the hidden agendas of educational discourses circulated by school textbooks has become richer. This research focuses on the process of bordering that took place in 1918 and the creation of Greater Romania and on the new borders and their representations in Geography school textbooks before and after that year. These representations are considered in the form of both text and images. First, I describe these representations and, secondly, I uncover and explain their intentions in the respective historical and geographical contexts. As History and Geography have been always viewed among the most influential subject matters in school, I employed visual methodology and discourse analysis to study Geography of Romania school textbooks – officially accepted products. The research material is made of Geography school textbooks. From a temporal perspective, my research material includes textbooks that were circulated starting with 1902 and in the 1930s. In addition, I assessed the degree to which Geography education was politicised. Results showed that, in the first half of the 20th century, the wished-for or newly-established and contested borders of Romania generated a lengthy and argumentative discourse about state borders and about the history and geography of the territories inhabited by Romanians. Ethnocultural identity concepts and conceptions of national identity were provided for the young and not only. Geography of Romania school textbooks were not apolitical, but reinforced a socio-spatial consciousness, based on the natural and anthropic features of the borders and on how they were represented, revealing the social practice of the educational discourse about border areas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:36:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6ee8de0e94b5477baa0707362749c68f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2537-4850 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:36:36Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Territorial Identity and Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-6ee8de0e94b5477baa0707362749c68f2023-06-14T07:01:54ZengBabes-Bolyai University, Cluj-NapocaTerritorial Identity and Development2537-48502020-10-01527911610.23740/TID220205MAKING SPACE AND NATION MEANINGFUL THROUGH BORDERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS IN ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS, DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURYOana-Ramona ILOVAN0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2075-1808Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Geography, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIALately, in Romania and abroad, research about the hidden agendas of educational discourses circulated by school textbooks has become richer. This research focuses on the process of bordering that took place in 1918 and the creation of Greater Romania and on the new borders and their representations in Geography school textbooks before and after that year. These representations are considered in the form of both text and images. First, I describe these representations and, secondly, I uncover and explain their intentions in the respective historical and geographical contexts. As History and Geography have been always viewed among the most influential subject matters in school, I employed visual methodology and discourse analysis to study Geography of Romania school textbooks – officially accepted products. The research material is made of Geography school textbooks. From a temporal perspective, my research material includes textbooks that were circulated starting with 1902 and in the 1930s. In addition, I assessed the degree to which Geography education was politicised. Results showed that, in the first half of the 20th century, the wished-for or newly-established and contested borders of Romania generated a lengthy and argumentative discourse about state borders and about the history and geography of the territories inhabited by Romanians. Ethnocultural identity concepts and conceptions of national identity were provided for the young and not only. Geography of Romania school textbooks were not apolitical, but reinforced a socio-spatial consciousness, based on the natural and anthropic features of the borders and on how they were represented, revealing the social practice of the educational discourse about border areas. http://territorial-identity.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5_Ilovan_TID_2_2020.pdfterritorial identitieslower secondary grades educationhistory and official discoursevisual analysisdiscourse analysis |
| spellingShingle | Oana-Ramona ILOVAN MAKING SPACE AND NATION MEANINGFUL THROUGH BORDERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS IN ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS, DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY Territorial Identity and Development territorial identities lower secondary grades education history and official discourse visual analysis discourse analysis |
| title | MAKING SPACE AND NATION MEANINGFUL THROUGH BORDERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS IN ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS, DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY |
| title_full | MAKING SPACE AND NATION MEANINGFUL THROUGH BORDERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS IN ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS, DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY |
| title_fullStr | MAKING SPACE AND NATION MEANINGFUL THROUGH BORDERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS IN ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS, DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY |
| title_full_unstemmed | MAKING SPACE AND NATION MEANINGFUL THROUGH BORDERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS IN ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS, DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY |
| title_short | MAKING SPACE AND NATION MEANINGFUL THROUGH BORDERS AND THEIR REPRESENTATIONS IN ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS, DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY |
| title_sort | making space and nation meaningful through borders and their representations in romanian geography textbooks during the first half of the 20th century |
| topic | territorial identities lower secondary grades education history and official discourse visual analysis discourse analysis |
| url | http://territorial-identity.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5_Ilovan_TID_2_2020.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT oanaramonailovan makingspaceandnationmeaningfulthroughbordersandtheirrepresentationsinromaniangeographytextbooksduringthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury |