Fenomenul „frontierist”. Reprezentarea „trădătorului” de ţară în imaginarul Securităţii din anii ’80.
The Illegal Border Crossing Phenomenon. The Representation of the "Traitor" in the Imaginary of the Securitate, during the '80s.

Summary/Abstract: Almost all socialist countries were confronted with a social phenomenon thatproved the resistance of a large part of the population to communist regimes – illegalemigration. Travel restrictions imposed by communist regimes to suppressemigration to the West have led some citizens, who wanted a better and freer life forthemselves and their families, to try dangerous forms of escape, such as fraudulentborder crossings. During Nicolae Ceausescu's time, the phenomenon increased inintensity in direct proportion to the deepening of the political and economic crisis,becoming a serious problem for the authorities. Therefore, a repressive mechanismwas conceived and implemented by the force structures of the communist state, led bythe Securitate, in order to eradicate the phenomenon. In the context of amplifyingconspiracy theories in propaganda narratives, fugitives were increasingly identifiedwith traitors. The action of fleeing S.R.Romania was not seen as an aspiration to abetter life for individuals, but as a method of denigrating the image of the countryand its leader, being encouraged by "hostile foreign forces".

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