Teaching gender and geography in Romanian universities

Abstract

The fall of communism in Central–Eastern Europe in 1989 brought major political, social, economic and cultural changes that reshaped the Romanian society as it transitioned from the totalitarian communist regime to a democratic one. The entire process of transition, eventuating in Romanian access to the European Union, brought important changes at all levels of the society, economy and culture. Among the most marked were in freedom of speech, introduction of the free market and a new class structure, changes that operated from institutional levels to private ones. The Romanian educational system had to accept that major changes needed to be made in the curricula, methods of teaching and the application of knowledge after graduation. It is in this context that a gender and geography class began to be taught in 2004 at the West University of Timisoara and in 2007 at the Iasi University. Although well received by students, questions remain about the legitimacy of the field in national promotion bodies.