Ambiguous Transitions: Gender, the State, and Everyday Life in Socialist and Postsocialist Romania

466 Pages·2019·6.898 MB·English

by  Jill Massino

AMBIGUOUS TRANSITIONS

A T
mbiguous rAnsiTions
Gender, the State, and Everyday Life in Socialist
and Postsocialist Romania
c
Jill Massino
berghahn
N E W Y O R K • O X F O R D
www.berghahnbooks.com
Published in 2019 by
Berghahn Books
www.berghahnbooks.com
© 2019 Jill Massino
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages
for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this book
may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information
storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented,
without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Massino, Jill, author.
Title: Ambiguous transitions : gender, the state, and everyday life in
socialist and postsocialist Romania / Jill Massino.
Description: 1st Edition. | New York : Berghahn Books, [2019] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017052489 (print) | LCCN 2018000867 (ebook) | ISBN
9781785335990 (eBook) | ISBN 9781785335983 (hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Gender identity—Romania. | Women—Romania—
Social conditions. | Women and communism—Romania—History. |
Romania—History—1944–1989. | Romania—History—1989–
Classification: LCC HQ1075.5.R6 (ebook) | LCC HQ1075.5.R6 M37 2018
(print) | DDC 305.309498—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017052489
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-78533-598-3 hardback
ISBN 978-1-78533-599-0 ebook
For my children, Sofia and Sebastian

Contents
c
List of Illustrations viii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction. Ambiguous Transitions: Gender, the State, and 1
Everyday Life in Romania from Socialism to Postsocialism
Chapter 1. The Times, They Are A-Changin’: Gender, 31
Citizenship, and the Transition to Socialism
Chapter 2. Children of the Revolution: Gender and the 86
(Ab)Normality of Growing Up Socialist
Chapter 3. Career Opportunities: Gender, Work, and Identity 140
Chapter 4. Love and Marriage: Gender and the 195
Transformation of Marital Roles and Relations
Chapter 5. It’s a Family Affair: Parenthood, Reproductive 247
Politics, and State “Welfare”
Chapter 6. Good Times, Bad Times: Gender, Consumption, 311
and Lifestyle
Chapter 7. Revolution Blues: Gender and the Transformation 364
from Socialism to Pluralism
Bibliography 419
Index 445
Illustrations
c
Figure 1.1. “Knowing Our Rights,” Femeia, March 1958 68
Figure 1.2. “Questions, Confessions, Experiences,” 70
Femeia, 1973
Figure 2.1. Cover of Cuteza˘torii, nos. 52–53, 1976 109
Figure 3.1. Women’s Labor Force Participation Rates in 152
Various Sectors of the Romanian Economy, 1948–89
Figure 3.2. Cover of Femeia, July 1969 154
Figure 4.1. “The First Year of Marriage,” Femeia, June 1971 211
Figure 4.2. “Be a Man!” Femia, June 1971 218
Figure 4.3. “The Truth about Frigidity,” Femeia, October 1968 221
Figure 5.1. “Those 280 Miraculous Days,” Femeia 1972 263
Figure 5.2. Cover of Femeia, September 1980 268
Figure 6.1. Traveling in Style, Moda, Spring 1963 320
Figure 6.2. Advertisement for the Practic vacuum cleaner,
Moda 97, Winter 1969–70 325
Figure 6.3. “Contemporary Woman: Principal Beneficiary,” 326
Femeia, February 1971
Acknowledgments
c
This book was long in the making, the product of extended periods of
solitary—albeit voluntary—confinement and the support of a range of
individuals. My first academic debt goes to my doctoral adviser, Maria
Bucur, who shepherded me through the initial stages of this project
and served as my strongest advocate from the early days of graduate
school through my arrival at that prized destination: a tenure track
job. Maria has been a model of scholarly excellence and instrumental
to my growth as a historian, and I am forever in her debt. Similarly in-
spirational is Mihaela Miroiu, whose insights on gender, the state, and
Romania have fundamentally shaped my thinking, and with whom it
is always a pleasure to spend time. Heartfelt thanks also go to Nancy
Wingfield for her mentorship and moral support during my exciting,
though often exhausting, journey from assistant to associate professor.
At Indiana University, Jean Robinson tirelessly supported my work and
got me hooked on feminist philosophy, while Laura Frader planted the
seeds for my fascination with gender history years earlier at North-
eastern University. Other faculty who enthusiastically supported me
during the early part of this project include Christina Zarifopol-Illias,
Jeff Wasserstrom, Marci Shore, and Jeffrey Veidlinger. At Bowdoin
College, Jennifer Scanlon, as well as Kristen Ghodsee, served as a cru-
cial professional and moral support as I muddled through my first year
of college teaching while trying to finish my dissertation and navigate
the choppy waters of the job market. Meanwhile, at Oberlin College,
Carol Lasser and Len Smith, among other history faculty, provided a
warm and welcoming environment for new professors. Last but not
least, my colleagues at the University of North Carolina Charlotte have
been a continuous source of inspiration and support, and I feel exceed-
ingly fortunate to be part of such a talented, accomplished, and kind
community of scholars. In particular, I would like to extend my grati-
tude to John David Smith, Christine Haynes, Jürgen Buchenau, John
Cox, Ritika Prasad, Gregory Mixon, Amanda Pipkin, Sonya Ramsay,