View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship Repository Copyright 2010 Mihaela Andra Wood SUPERPOWER: ROMANIAN WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS DURING THE COLD WAR BY MIHAELA ANDRA WOOD DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Keith Hitchins, Chair Professor Maria Todorova Associate Professor Tamara Chaplin Associate Professor Mark S. Micale ii Abstract This dissertation explores how athletic victories in elite sports, particularly on the international stage, became Romanians’ ultimate expression of "Romanian-ness” during the Cold War years. As a result of the Romanian socialist state’s efforts to foster international successes in gymnastics, foreigners would ultimately associate elite women gymnasts’ success with the Romanian nation itself. The chapters of this dissertation explore the ways the Romanian socialist state fashioned elite women’s gymnastics as a key way to (1) fashion a sense of national pride and national community at home, (2) legitimize the socialist regime as a successful state, both internally and externally, (3) project positive images of Romania abroad in order to secure international recognition and prestige. During the Cold War, Romanian women gymnasts became cultural, national, and socialist heroes. Using Romanian archival sources, a wide range of Romanian periodicals, and American newspapers and magazines, this study examines the institutional and cultural development of elite women’s gymnastics in Romania from its earliest beginnings in the 1950s through the collapse of socialism in 1989. In the 1950s, Romanian coaches employed Soviet models of training to secure early women gymnasts’ medals at the Olympic Games. By the 1960s, Romanian innovations and sustained investments in gymnastics recruiting and training, dubbed the “Romanian School of Gymnastics,” transformed socialist Romania into a gymnastics powerhouse. The Romanian School enjoyed its heyday during the 1970s and 1980s, as superstar athletes such as Nadia Comăneci became a fixture on the medal stand at the Olympic Games. I argue that elite women gymnasts transformed Romania into a global sports superpower, allowing the socialist regime to challenge, in its own way, the prevailing binary frameworks of the Cold War. iii Acknowledgments While in pursuit of my "academic dreams," as I have often called my long journey through college and graduate school, I had the chance to meet many wonderful people who, knowingly or unknowingly, have enriched my life professionally and personally. My academic travels began in Romania, at the History Department of the University of Bucharest. While I always liked history and enjoyed reading about history, it was Professor Lucian Boia’s class on “The History of the Imaginary” that first drew me into a critical study of the past. Also at the University of Bucharest, Professors Bogdan and Mirela Murgescu’s engaging courses and seminars, and their heartfelt mentoring, literally transformed my path as an undergraduate student. Under their guidance, I presented my first papers at national and international conferences, as well as learnt the meticulous art of footnoting, re-writing, and revising as I wrote my senior and master’s theses. The Murgescus strongly encouraged me to go beyond teaching at the high-school level and apply to the new Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary. With that, they changed the course of my life in (good) ways that I could not even anticipate at the time. I am very grateful for the many conversations from which the subject of this dissertation was born. I am very blessed for Bogdan and Mirela’s mentoring and friendship over the years. Upon arriving at CEU’s Gender & Culture Department, I entered a completely new, English-speaking environment. Here, I met and worked with Professors Andrea Peto, Peter Krasztev, and Joan Scott who guided me through the rigors of women’s history and gender theory. My formative graduate school experience at CEU propelled me across the Atlantic to the United States where I began doctoral studies in history at the University of Illinois. iv During my years of coursework at UIUC, I enjoyed participating in the exciting seminars taught by Professors Keith Hitchins, Tamara Chaplin, Maria Todorova, Mark Micale, Peter Fritzche, Antoinette Burton, Jean Allman, Harry Liebersohn, Lillian Hoddeson, and Nils Jacobsen. Tamara Chaplin helped me become a better graduate student, and I am grateful for her mentoring and friendship. Thank you, Tamara! As a teaching assistant, I learned from Mark Micale, Tamara Chaplin, and Craig Koslofsky how to make teaching history exciting and enjoyable for undergraduates who are often not history majors. In my own classes, I continue to strive to emulate their example. Moreover, the members of my dissertation committee, Tamara Chaplin, Maria Todorova, and Mark Micale generously gave of their time and attention when they read numerous drafts of this dissertation. Their attention to detail, as well as their thought- provoking questions, will help transform this dissertation into, I hope, a successful book. It is very hard to express in words my gratitude to Professor Keith Hitchins, my dissertation advisor. An extraordinary intellectual, whom I call the best American historian of Romanians, Professor Hitchins encouraged me constantly and guided me through all of the hurdles that constitute the graduate school experience. His care and generosity made my life away from my own family an easier one. His teaching and research in Eastern and Southeastern European history is a fine example of careful, balanced, and insightful reading of national histories of an area fraught with nationalist cultures and aspirations. Equally, I have always been amazed by Dr. Hitchins’ linguistic abilities, including his highly nuanced understanding of my native language (among several other languages). I am overwhelmingly grateful for his mentoring, his support, and his friendship. Thank you, Dr. Hitchins, for your generosity in sharing your books, articles, and periodicals from your wonderful home library, for reading v numerous drafts of my seminar papers and dissertation chapters, for helping me clarify my ideas and my prose, and for simply being the best advisor ever. During my first years in the United States, my colleagues in the History Department made my (dwindling!) free time more enjoyable. Amanda Brian, Erica Fraser, Lauren Heckler, Danielle Kinsey, Anita Bravo, Nikki Lindsey, Jess Kamm, Jennifer Edwards, Karen Phoenix, Pompilia Burcica, Kate Meehan Pedrotty, Melissa Salrin, Jamie Warren, Brian Ingrassia, Randy Dills, and Ross Musselman have been very good friends throughout my time at the U of I. I especially thank Irina Gigova and Bryan Ganaway for their hospitality and for taking very good care of me during my first days in Urbana. My Romanian friends at the University of Illinois have always been closer than close. It was through the Romanian Student Club that I met Cristiana and Bogdan Stanciu, as well as Andreea and Cătălin Chiriţescu. Spending holidays together has always been a joy, as well as the pinnacle of culinary delights, thanks to Andreea. Cristina and Bogdan kindly hosted me during the summer of 2006 while I taught a summer course (and my new home and husband were in Pittsburgh). Andreea and Cătă have been my closest and best friends: they fed me, laughed with me, cried with me, danced with me, gave me advice, helped me pack and unpack, and so much more. I am so grateful to have Andreea as a best friend, even if we now live in very different parts of the United States. All our lives have changed greatly, and I cannot wait to see Maya, Alex, and John Michael play together! In Romania, my friends and fellow historians Adriana Gheorghe, Silvana Rachieru, Roxana Cheşchebec, and Bogdan Popa offered me good company and plenty of laughs. As I worked on my dissertation research in Bucharest during 2005-2006, I was fortunate to rent a studio apartment in Drumul Taberei, my old childhood neighborhood, and thus I had the opportunity to meet often with my old friends, Aurora and Laurenţiu. I am also grateful to vi Mihaela Renţea for her friendship. With her connections in the Romanian media, she made it possible for me to make contacts in the celebrity-driven world of elite women’s gymnastics. Doing research on a different continent is impossible without considerable support. A Graduate College Dissertation Travel Grant, a History Department Fellowship, and my family funded my research trips to Romania. I am grateful to the dedicated staff of the National Archives in Bucharest and the librarians and staff of the Central University Library in Bucharest. Their help in locating primary sources for this dissertation has been invaluable. At the University of Illinois, the History Department staff diligently and patiently helped me on so many occasions with the complicated paperwork requirements that were needed to finally complete my degree. I thank Jan Langendorf, the late Judy Patterson, Tom Bedwell, and especially Elaine Sampson for their kindness, knowledge, and support. I finished writing this dissertation in Frostburg, Maryland, which became my new home. Our wonderful neighbors, Sue and Paul Gerhard, have been very supportive of me and my family. We enjoy their company, friendship, and closeness every day. Our new Frostburg friends, Paul Charney, Jennifer Ingle, Nicole Houser, Kate Keely, Maria-Luisa Sanchez, Daniel Silver, Amy Branam, Melanie Lombardi, and John Lombardi have cheered me all the way to the finish line. Writing a dissertation can be a very lonely experience. While that was true for the time when I was stuck in front of the computer for hours, I was fortunate to have the company of family. My Michigan mom and dad, Janis and Jim Wood, as well as Erin and Tim Evers, helped to create a new family for me and I am so grateful for the way they welcomed me with open arms.