ЖЕНИ ОТВЪД АРХИВА. Невидимите истории на жените в България

Author(s): Nurie Muratova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 6/2021

The monograph “Women beyond the Archive. Invisible Histories of Women in Bulgaria” is focused on researching the archives of and for women in Bulgaria. The proposed model encompasses the chronological framework of the period of the communist regime and considers the historical conditions of the founding of the State Historical Archives in 1951. The object of the study are the archives of women vis a vis the traditional historical archives. I try to outline the presence of the history of women and women’s lifes in the documental heritage. The purpose of the research is to define the models of archive availability in Bulgaria, related to the history of women and more specifically to define the historiographic situation in the sphere of researching gender and the history of women. The archive policies which are part of the general policies of the totalitarian period predetermined the documental presence of history of women. Today we possess a huge ammount of documents – mainly official, about the state activists as well as about the distribution and the manegement of the documentation of the period. It is to be noted that women, who did not fit the ideological narrative of the period are neglected by the archives, because of the well known ideological and institutional standing of the establishment of the State Archives in Bulgaria. Women of diverse minority groups, women who belonged to the political opposition, women workers in the factories, field workers and so on are left out of the collections of the State Archives – or they are present only with especially selected showcase faces. In addition, in the post-socialist archives in Bulgaria once again are absent the a number of groups of women like Gypsy women, Pomak women, Turkish women. Generally speaking, women from the low class – or of diverse ethnic or religious background – are marginalized as well as in the global documental heritage. This situation defines the difficulties which face the researcher of the history of women in Bulgaria. A number of topics and research fields are ignored being unclear and documentary not supported. Still, these obstacles could stimulate the use of non-conventional sources and methods, enriching the research methods. The use of oral history and interdisciplinary methods that unite the approaches of different humanitarian and social sciences gains specific importance. Both the academic discussions and the new research fields, developed after the fall of the Iron Curtain found their place in our scholarly discourse. I have to emphasise that I was not led by the often used practice to adjust the ‘big’ theory to my own research. I have chosen the vice versa method – to let the results of my research found their theoretical justification. Part of my academic inquiries inscribed into the modern theories of the postcolonial studies, minority studies, intersectional theories of accumulation of inequalities and marginalization, and modern identity archive theory. Onether purpose of my research is outline some fields in the archival system which could not be studied by conventional methods. The developing research fields of Gender Studies, History of Women and History of Gender Relations in Bulgaria rarely pay attention to marginalized women. In the first chapter I contemplate the theories which could be applied to the research of the ‘hidden’ women. My aim is not to cover all theoretical recourses but rather to spot possible research horizons. In the first chapter I follow the processes of interaction between historiography and archives as practice of documentation in the framework of socio – philosophical and archive theoretical doctrines. I take into account the postcolonial theories, the theories of intersection of inequalities and marginalization in the context of their relation to the present academic situation in Bulgaria. One of the purposes of the monograph is to outline as a research field the life stories of sometimes double or triple marginalized women.They could be approached by different research methods – and especially via interdisciplinary methods. In the second chapter I present the origin, the history and the development of the archives of women and for women, their variety and specificity in their international context. The geographical framework includes women archives in Europe, the Balkans and the USA. The varieties of archive practices are connected with the enriching the definition of the archive – surpassing the notion of the classical historical archives. The so called ‘identity archives’, part of which are the women’s archives are the best example for this case. In the third chapter I describe the situation in the Bulgarian State Archives in relation to documental heritage of women. For this task I use statistical methods for outlining its size on the background of the official polices towards women. For data searching in the entire archival system of the Bulgarian State Archives I used the informational system of the institution. I analysed the content of all the files (Фонд) in order to define only the archives related to the history of women. Another important documental resource are the personal files of women (including family records) which I researched in details. What is important to note about the personal archives is that they reflect directly the policy of the archival system in preserving the memory of women. The last chapter includes several case studies of women’s archive stories which I have studied in details and which I have already published (some of them in joint works with other colleagues, including published books). In this chapter I consider their stories only from the point of view of their archive presence and in relation to the statement of Mary Beard “No documents, no history”. Through the prism of postcolonial theories and the theories of accumulation and intersection of inequalities and marginalization I have researched the archival presence of Muslim women and Gipsy women during the totalitarian period. There have been many research obstacles related to the reconstruction of life stories of three women who were activists of the Bulgarian Agrarian Union. Two of them (Rajna Lapardova and Nevena Elmazova) have two ‘archives’ – one ‘official’ prepared and delivered by them to the State Archive – and another one fabricated by the repressive apparatus of the State Security. which outlines different biographical trajectory. The third woman who belonged to the Oppositional Agrarian Union (Tsvetana Tsacheva) has spent years in the communist labour camps after 1947, when the political opposition in Bulgaria was eliminated. Tsacheva does not have official archive and her life story could be reconstructed only using the method of oral history. Although there were some traces in the State Security Archive marking the persecution against her, her own experience would have been unknown if the method of field research was not used. The other similar cases of persecuted women because of their Turkish ethnic origin were the lecturers at the Sofia University Mefkure Mollova and Hayrie Memova-Suleymanova. The persecutions against them are well documented in the State Security Archive at the expense of the lack of any traces of their academic and other professional activities. The last case (the writer Zlatka Cholakova) is about the so called ‘drawer’ literature, which was sent to the State Archive by misunderstanding. This personal archive research demonstrates the benefits of the so called ‘archive revolution’ which has happened in the last decades – with the opening of the archives of the State Security and the Communist Party. The opening of the archives which are classified as ‘secret archive’ provided opportunities for different kind of research, including the one related to women, who are often excluded from the common research interest.

Социалистическа модернизация: институциите и жизненият път

Author(s): Anelia Kassabova,Daniela Koleva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

„Модернизирането“ на менструиращото женско тяло през периода на държавния социализъм

Author(s): Mila Bankova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

The article analyses the socio-cultural construction of the topic of menstruation in the period of state socialism. State power, institutions, biomedicine and the media intervene in the intimate sphere of women in order to promote their emancipation and full inclusion in the building of a socialist society. Through modernization, medicalization and control over bio-bodily functions, the socialist state attempts to improve women’s health and reproductive abilities, but also to manage and instrumentalize women’s role, behaviour and responsibilities to society. The research examines medical literature, publications in health and popular science journals, educational policy documents on the topic, and personal narratives of physicians, which show how the menstruating female body was turned into a problem not only in healthcare and health education but also in employment, education and demographic policies.

SOUS LE SIGNE DE PERESTROÏKA : HISTOIRE, TÉMOIGNAGE ET RÉSILIENCE DANS LE ROMAN NOUS DÎNERONS EN FRANÇAIS (2015) D’ALBENA DIMITROVA

Author(s): Vassiliki Lalagianni / Language(s): French Issue: 4/2023

Albena Dimitrova (1969 – ), Bulgarian-born writer, poet and playwright, belongs to the corpus of « contemporary extreme » women writers who have chosen to express themselves in French, in the context of a migratory or exile situation, or out of an attraction to this language that represents the host country, France. In her novel Nous dînerons en français (2015) Dimitrova blends individual stories and major national events with extraordinary mastery. This work of autofiction bears witness to an era marked by austere politics in Bulgaria throughout the 1980s and 1990s, a tumultuous period when perestroïka and glasnost challenged the regime in power. Through the prism of a passionate and forbidden love, Dimitrova sketches the background of existences, showing how the destinies of individuals are buffeted by the winds of History.

Macierzyństwo jako temat publikacji i element wizerunków medialnych kobiet świata polityki w wybranych polskich tygodnikach opinii

Author(s): Katarzyna Brzoza-Kolorz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3 (255)/2023

The aim of the analysis conducted is to show how motherhood was portrayed in four Polish weekly opinion magazines Gazeta Polska, Newsweek Polska, Polityka and Wprost, during selected periods, over the years 2000-2019, and how the role of the mother projected media images of women in the world of politics. Preliminary assumptions were made that motherhood is politicised in the publications and that the editorial line of the surveyed weeklies influences the way they write about it. In addition, an attempt was made to test the validity of the claim that wives of politicians were more often portrayed in the role of the mother than female politicians, and the role of the mother was more strongly exposed in the portrayal of Polish female politicians than foreign ones. The research method used was a content analysis of selected publications, sourced from weekly opinion magazines, which was carried out based on the author’s categorisation key and with the support of the IBM SPSS program. In the course of the conducted analyses, the research objectives were achieved and the adopted research hypotheses were confirmed.

Kopsakarību meklējumi nejaušību kolāžā

Author(s): Stella Pelše / Language(s): Latvian Issue: 27/2023

Review of: Wunderkombināts I: Latvijas mākslas gadagrāmata 2022 Galvenā redaktore Santa Hirša Tekstu autori: Hīto Šteierle, Andris Šuvajevs, Maija Rudovska, Šelda Puķīte, Inga Lāce, Iļļa Levčenko, Zane Zajančkauska, Jānis Taurens, Jānis Ozoliņš un Kārlis Vērdiņš, Krišs Salmanis Rīga: Biedrība “Wunder Kombinat”, 2022. 144 lpp., il. ISBN 9789934914607 The book review examines the bilingual collection of articles "Wunderkombināts I: Latvijas mākslas gadagrāmata 2022 = Latvian Art Yearbook 2022 (Riga: Wunder Kombinat, 2022) edited by art critic Santa Hirša. The book consists mainly of Latvian authors' reflections plus two translated texts about various little-studied aspects of art, its interpretation as well as relevant economic, social and political contexts.

REPRESSION-INSPIRED INNOVATIVE FORMS OF PROTEST AS A FACTOR SUSTAINING MOBILIZATION: THE CASE STUDY OF ALL-POLISH WOMEN'S STRIKE

Author(s): Oliwia Szeląg,Maciej Skrzypek / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

The paper aims to discover the relations between repression and the occurrence of innovative forms of protests (hereinafter: IFP) during the All-women’s Strike in Poland (2020-2021). The Authors identified two most essential features of IFP, namely the use of the Internet and avoidance of physical violence. IFP were significant for these manifestations, considering pandemic circumstances and strict restrictions on public assembly. The following questions were asked during the research: 1) What was the content of the IFP? 2) Who is the target of IFP? The study draws on process tracing to determine whether repression by law enforcement caused a public reaction against those measures. Moreover, qualitative content analysis was used to determine the content published in public domain posts on Instagram. The period examined is 20 October 2020 (tightening abortion law by the Constitutional Court) to 8 February 2021 (when the last post was published). The purposeful selection of cases included 450 posts by the most engaged Polish female celebrities. The paper provides knowledge of how specific repression triggered certain types of IFP and who was the target of these protests. The authors also explain the use of IFP during the All-women’s Strike in Poland.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND INSTITUTION BUILDING IN POST-SOCIALIST ALBANIA. THE GENDER PERSPECTIVE

Author(s): Juliana GJINKO / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

Central and Eastern European nations have undergone significant socioeconomic policy reforms since the collapse of their socialist centralized systems. Since 1992, the Republic of Albania has faced numerous significant obstacles, and at first, eliminating gender inequality was not given much priority. In addition to being a fundamental right and a shared ideal of EU institutions, gender equality is a crucial component that must be included in the legal systems of all candidate nations hoping to join the EU. Social exclusion in developing countries can take two forms: active or passive. Women's needs and interests are typically overlooked because they are shut out of numerous aspects of life, including work, education, access to the legal system, the realization of their property rights, and so on. The Republic of Albania has created several laws, policies, and action plans about gender equality in the wake of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), in addition to policies against human trafficking, domestic abuse, closing the representational gap in politics and the economy, and other issues. In this essay, I examine Albania's approach to assessing European standards and, if applicable, modify them to fit regional political customs and cultural norms. The best way to enforce laws, rather than just creating rules, models, and regulations, is to ensure that the body of law is in harmony with the culture in which it operates. In pursuing full EU integration, this is an overall effort to assess and contrast some of the approaches and measures Albanian representatives and society have taken to address the gender factor in the democratization process and institution-building.

SOCIAL CONFLICT, POPULAR PROTEST, AND VIOLENCE IN WWI BULGARIA

Author(s): Kristian Stefanov / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

WWI created a global economic crisis, stimulating mass popular protests in all belligerent countries that undermined the state’s legitimacy and triggered the emergence of violence, reminiscing the coercive character of interwar European politics. A central component in this protest on the rear was women’s protests against the misery that ultimately culminated in a series of violent hunger riots denunciating the war effort and political elites. The present article follows this trend in the Bulgarian wartime experience by analyzing the transformation of economic hardships into women-led popular protest. The study focuses on the protesters’ political language and symbolical tactics to politicize everyday social suffering by framing it within the broader context of national solidarity and the war effort. The article argues that the wartime crisis exacerbated the pre-war class conflicts and stimulated mass popular dissent that empowered the women “in the rear” to challenge the state’s authority, insisting on economic redistribution and peace.

Мъжете в малките населени места – маргинализирани и нужни

Author(s): Vasil Baltadziev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2023

The present text focuses on the problems faced by the men who live in the contemporary Bulgarian village. Using empirical data gathered in a long period of fieldwork, I discuss some of the aspects related to their daily life and focus on the position they occupy in the community that they are a part of. My observation showed that in many of the villages I visited, alcohol consumption was seen more as a part of everyday life, young men who consumed large amounts were looked with compation by the older generation, who often needed their physical help. The exception was in cases in which alcohol dependence led to more complex problems – for example, aggression or abuse. The case in Northwestern Bulgaria is specific and more problematic. The poverty of the region, combined with high unemployment, had created a bleaker picture. The local image of the “ pustinyaka” had a lot more of the characteristics usually associated with a marginal person.

Is a Woman a Better Refugee Than a Man? Gender Representations of Refugees in the Polish Public Debate

Author(s): Natalia Bloch / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2023

Within the framework of global mobility regimes, some bodies are encouraged to move while others are pushed back. Nation-states create control mechanisms to block those who are “undesirable”. Apart from political utility, the colour of the bodies is indicated by the critics as the main criterion of division. However, one more important dimension that intersects with race here is the gender of these bodies. A woman fits the figure of an ideal victim better due to the nationalist patterns of femininity: she is vulnerable, submissive, and deprived of agency. Contrary to a man: his duty in the context of war is to remain in his homeland and fight for it. A man who does not do that, seeking asylum in Europe, is morally doubtful: he is a migrant posing a threat to “our” prosperity and security. This is how people crossing the Polish-Belarusian border are presented to public opinion and contrasted with female Ukrainian refugees. The article offers a critical analysis of gender representations of refugees in the Polish public debate through the prism of postcolonial theory, demonstrating that gendered and racialised colonial discourses underpin rationalisations about who has and who does not have a right to be a refugee.

Stories of our Grandmothers: How Modern Ukrainian Women's Literature Deconstructs the Soviet Myth about the Great Patriotic War

Author(s): Snizhana Zhygun / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

The article analyses how contemporary women’s literature deconstructs the Soviet myth of the Great Patriotic War under the influence of contemporary Russian aggression. This myth defined the narrative of World War II as a heroic sacrifice of the Soviet people. As a result, the diversity of experiences was suppressed and the memory of them was not formed. Since independence, Ukrainian culture has been restoring the gaps in history and memory, which has become especially important in the context of the ongoing war. Women’s literature participates in this process by focusing on women’s experiences, which are usually marginalized in the national-focused narrative. This study aims to identify the contribution of women’s literature to the process of decolonization. The object of the study is such women’s novels as The Museum of Abandoned Secrets by Oksana Zabuzhko (as a precursor to the modern treatment of the topic), Amadoka by Sofia Andruhovych, Because it Hurts by Yevgenia Senik, Eva’s Apples by Khrystyna Kotsira and Faride by Iren Rozdobudko. The study found that women’s literature most often addresses the topics of women combatants, deportations, and the Holocaust. In this way, the authors contribute to the process of returning to national history. At the same time, the study demonstrates the complex interaction of nationality and gender in contemporary women’s literature. As women’s literature also contradicts the traditional nationally oriented discourse, emphasizing female agency and appealing to multinational experience (except Ukrainian, Jewish, and Crimean Tatar). This understanding of the theme of the Second World War by contemporary Ukrainian women’s literature creates a context for the perception of the specifically female experience of the current war and resists attempts at ideological manipulation around women’s roles.

La expresión literaria del trauma histórico en dos novelas contemporáneas latinoamericanas: „Amuleto” (R. Bolaño, 1999); „Insensatez” (H. Castellanos Moya, 2004)

Author(s): Cecilia M. T. López Badano / Language(s): Spanish Issue: 23/2023

Writing about memory involves balancing on the limits of the symbolizable and the unspeakable of trauma – individual and social – putting together puzzles in which some of the pieces do not fit and others have been lost. The aforementioned novels, both within the imaginary of disenchanted impotence in the face of the reconstructive faculty of memory in personalities devastated by state violence, share traits that connect them: both confront the difficulties of a pathological narrative by posing it from a delirious and/or dislocated discursive inquiry in which the authors sustain the literary possibility of anamnesis. The aim of this article is to explore the fragmentary, fetishizing construction of the paradoxes of memory in the aesthetic constitution of both novels as the only possible support in front of the irreparable damage produced by social subjugation. Through stylistic traits, the reconstructive, salvific viability of traumatic memory is renewed, and at the same time put into crisis.

VULNERABILITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS: TACKLING SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AGAINST MIGRANTS AND ENHANCING SUPPORT TO VICTIMS

Author(s): Ilarija Basic,Mirsad Buzar / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

This paper seeks to improve understanding of the risks and types of sexualand gender-based violence faced by migrants, as well as ways of providing protection and assistance within the mixed migration context in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that over half of women and almost 1 in 3 men worldwide have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their life times. Even though the prevalence of sexual violence is high, its exact scope is unknown due to its vast underreporting. Sexual violence against people on the move is widespread. Regardless of age and gender, this population is highly vulnerable to becoming victims of sexual and gender-based violence during their journey toward the desired destination. How the proper activities aimed to prevent and treat the consequences of sexual and gender-based violence in the humanitarian context are set up in Bosnia and Herzegovina and what kind of services are provided to victims will be discussed within the paper. How important the role of humanitarian workers is, their understanding of sexual and gender-based violence, and their readiness to provide adequate care, recognize the types of sexual violence, and use all the benefits of the existing referral pathway properly will also be broadly explored.

Интерсекционални изследвания на пола в спорта

Author(s): Boryana Angelova-Igova,Nevena Dimitrova / Language(s): English,Bulgarian Issue: 2/2024

The article deals with the state of research in the field of gender inequality in Bulgaria. The approach is intersectional. In recent years, in the humanities and social sciences, the so-called intersectional method of researching gender, not only in sports but in every life situation. The intersectional approach examines not only the male-female gender ratio, but also factors such as age, sexuality, ethnic and religious affiliation, and social status. An intersectional approach suggests that discrimination can be not only at the level of gender but also in terms of age, appearance, ethnicity, or sexuality, so research in this area needs to be more comprehensive.

Armenian Community in Bulgaria in The Time of COVID-19: Coping With The Challenge

Author(s): Tanya Matanova / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2022

The COVID-19 pandemic influenced and changed the personal and social life of thousands of people. Armenians in Bulgaria as all Bulgarian citizens had to go through the lockdown and restriction time. On a personal level, Armenians stopped visiting relatives and gathering. On an institutional level, Armenians looked for strategies to cope with the challenges of the pandemic situations – cultural organisations had to find ways to arrange events and celebrations, schools – to teach their lessons, restaurant entrepreneurs started to offer food delivery, representatives of Armenian churches searched for new mechanisms of preaching and supporting spiritually the Armenians. Based on fieldwork material gathered during the pandemic period, the paper presents some examples of how Armenians in different Bulgarian towns succeeded (or not) in expressing their ethnic and cultural Armenian identity and living as part of the Armenian diaspora in Bulgaria.

Ivana Dobrivojević Tomić, Između nebrige i neznanja. Žene, seksualnost i planiranje porodice u Jugoslaviji (1918–1991)

Author(s): Aida Ličina Ramić / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 23/2024

Review of: Ivana Dobrivojević Tomić, Između nebrige i neznanja. Žene, seksualnost i planiranje porodice u Jugoslaviji (1918–1991), Beograd: Arhipelag – Institut za savremenu istoriju, 2022, 276 str.

ISSUES OF OTHERNESS IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S „ANTHILLS OF THE SAVANNAH” (1987)

Author(s): Adina Campu / Language(s): English Issue: 40/2025

This paper focuses on representations of Otherness in Chinua Achebe’s last and most modern novel – “Anthills of the Savannah”, first published in 1987. As opposed to previous literary works by the same author that mainly focused on the disastrous encounter between the African and the European cultures, the above-mentioned novel is chiefly concerned with African culture itself, the one that has developed in postcolonial times. I argue that “Anthills of the Savannah” relies on discourses of Otherness and Sameness in order to give an answer to the complex problem of identity construction and I focus on two of the most relevant representations of Otherness that I have identified in Achebe’s novel – on the one hand, the way in which Achebe uses the language in the novel not only as a class marker but also as a marker of the individuality of the Africans as opposed to Europeans and, on the other hand, the relevance of Western experience and how the novel questions the way in which the African elite, educated in Western countries can and should combine forces with the masses in order to create a just and fair society. The conclusion is not bleak but, Achebe makes it clear that, in order to bring about the eagerly awaited change the whole nation, not just the elite, needs to be adequately educated to that effect.

MISOGYNY AND HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE DECADENT STRAIN OF HARLEM RENAISSANCE: AN ANALYSIS OF WALLACE THURMAN’S INFANTS OF THE SPRING

Author(s): Mohammad Roomazi / Language(s): English Issue: 40/2025

This paper examines the intersections of misogyny and homosexuality within the Harlem Renaissance, specifically through Wallace Thurman’s novel Infants of the Spring. The analysis illustrates how Thurman, along with contemporaries like Alain Locke and Langston Hughes, engaged with the intricate socio-cultural landscape of Harlem during the 1920s. By critiquing the patriarchal and heteronormative constructs prevalent during this period, the study explores how these figures perpetuated certain misogynistic attitudes despite their progressive stances on racial and sexual identities. Utilizing Marilyn Frye's theories on male supremacy and homosexual identity, alongside Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s ideas on the epistemology of the closet which reveals the dualities and contradictions within gender and sexual identities, the paper argues that the Harlem Renaissance, while a site of significant cultural production and resistance, also mirrored broader societal contradictions concerning gender and sexuality. Through a close reading of Thurman’s work and the interactions of historical figures at events like the 1924 Civic Club dinner, this study reveals the disparate and contradictory ways in which African American writers and intellectuals both challenged and conformed to oppressive norms.

EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT MANIFESTATIONS OF GENDER IN SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS: MALE AND FEMALE CHARACTERS

Author(s): Nicoleta-Cristina Sâmcea / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 40/2025

School is not only a means of transforming lives but also a mechanism for organizing them. It plays a key role in shaping social structures, including gender relations. Schools prepare students for the gendered division of labor, both at home and in the workplace, actively producing and reinforcing gender norms rather than merely reflecting existing social ideologies. According to Barrie Thorne, gender identities, masculinity, and femininity are socially constructed through various influences, including family, peers, media, and educational content. One crucial instrument in this process is the textbook, which communicates ideas about gender norms and roles selected from cultural and historical sources. Given its significant impact on shaping students’ perceptions, it is essential to analyze and evaluate textbooks for gender representation. Textbooks create a symbolic world where children spend hours daily, forming ideas about what is normal, acceptable, and appropriate. They serve as "training grounds" for real-life social roles. This study examines how gender is constructed in high school Romanian language and literature textbooks, comparing materials from before and after 2000. The research aims to determine whether these textbooks reinforce gender stereotypes explicitly or implicitly, despite existing non-discriminatory legislation. Main research question: Do Romanian language and literature textbooks reinforce gender stereotypes? Specific research problem: Do textbooks influence students’ behavior and perceptions of gender roles through the experiences they provide in formal education? Hypothesis: Despite non-discriminatory legislation in Romania, gender stereotypes persist in textbooks, both explicitly and implicitly. Methodology: The study analyzes four high school textbooks: two from the 1980s-1990s and two from the 2000s. The analysis focuses on gender representation in illustrations and text, identifying differences and similarities in how gender roles are portrayed over time. The research investigates the following:• The presence of male and female characters in illustrations• Gender-coded traits and behaviors• Gender-based interaction patterns• Representation of power and authority• Gender stereotypes in visual and textual content A total of 572 illustrations were examined, documenting gender representation through empirical indicators such as visibility, authority, stereotype reinforcement, and interaction patterns. Findings1. Gender representation in illustrations• Male characters dominate the visual content: 62% of illustrated characters are male, while 38% are female.• The most significant disparity appears in Manual 3, where 82% of illustrations feature males and only 18% feature females.• No textbook contains more female than male characters.2. Gender interaction and segregation• 78% of mixed-gender illustrations show interaction between male and female characters, suggesting no strong gender segregation.784• Male characters interact more frequently than female characters, reinforcing an active male/passive female dynamic.3. Representation of power and authority• Male characters appear more often in leadership roles, making decisions or guiding others.• Female characters are more frequently depicted as obedient or in subordinate roles (28 cases vs. 15 for males).• Men are portrayed as stronger and more independent, while women are associated with care and emotional support.4. Gender stereotypes and non-stereotypical representations• Traditional gender stereotypes dominate: men engage in public and professional activities, while women are shown in domestic roles.• Few counter-stereotypical representations exist, such as men engaging in household tasks or women participating in technical fields.5. Clothing and technological representation• Female characters predominantly wear dresses and skirts (74%), reinforcing traditional femininity.• Textbooks fail to reflect modern technological realities, with minimal references to contemporary devices like computers or mobile phones, even in post-2000 editions.6. Spatial representation (public vs. private space)• Men appear more frequently in public settings (30% of illustrations), reinforcing the idea of male dominance in professional and societal roles.• Women are more evenly distributed between public (36%) and private (26%) spaces, although some textbooks still emphasize traditional female domesticity. The study highlights several key patterns in gender representation in Romanian language and literature textbooks:• Male characters are overrepresented both numerically and in leadership roles.• Gender interaction is common, reducing segregation but maintaining male dominance in activity and authority.• Stereotypes persist, with women often confined to traditional domestic roles.• Textbooks shape gender identity by reinforcing societal norms through visual and textual content. Despite some progress, Romanian textbooks remain gendered instruments, subtly influencing students’ perceptions of masculinity and femininity. To foster a more equitable educational environment, future textbook revisions should actively address gender bias and promote diverse role models.