Tudor Mihăescu
University of Bucharest, History, Alumnus
- History of Astronautics, History of Space Travel, Space History, Cultural Astronomy, History of Spaceflight, Space Colonization, and 20 moreOuter Space History, Ethnographic Approaches to Outer Space, History of Rocketry, Acta Astronautica, STS (Anthropology), Futures Studies, History of Science, Astrobiology, Exoplanets, Planetary Science, Space Exploration, Anthropology of Outer Space, Astroculture, Science Popularization, Popular Science, Astronomical Observatories, History of Astronomy, History of Science Museums, Space Sciences, and Science and Technology Studiesedit
- PhD 2023, University of Bucharest, History Erasmus 2016/2017 - ISMT Coimbra - Portugal MA 2017, University of Bucha... morePhD 2023, University of Bucharest, History
Erasmus 2016/2017 - ISMT Coimbra - Portugal
MA 2017, University of Bucharest, Anthropology
Erasmus 2014/2015 - University of Lisbon - Portugal
BA 2015, University of Bucharest, Ethnology
BA 2012, SNSPA, Communication and PRedit
This book analyzes the social, political, and especially cultural impact that the flight of the Apollo 11 (which put the first men on the Moon in July 1969) had in Romania. The research is based on a varied range of primary historical... more
This book analyzes the social, political, and especially cultural impact that the flight of the Apollo 11 (which put the first men on the Moon in July 1969) had in Romania. The research is based on a varied range of primary historical sources, as follows: 1. articles from newspapers and magazines; 2. documents from state archives; 3. visual and audio archives; 4. oral sources (interviews); 5. material sources (museum artifacts).
The first part of the book (titled Historiography and theoretical framework) is meant to familiarize the reader with the main topics in the field of space history, comprizing a review of the social and humanities approaches that investigate the history and culture of space exploration. In the second chapter (Historical context: We choose to go to the Moon) the political context in which the Apollo missions took place is fleshed out, from the founding of NASA to notable moments of the first American manned space programs.
The third part (The written culture of cosmonautics) contains a detailed analysis of written sources: news, press releases, editorials and other articles related to the Apollo 11 mission, published in some of the most important Romanian newspapers and magazines. Also included in this part of the work – due to the chronological proximity of the two events – is a short description of Richard Nixon's visit to Romania.
The fourth part of the book (The visual culture of cosmonautics) presents the results of my investigation of the visual component of the first Moon landing, seen as a major global media event. The first subchapters explore the social impact of the Moon landing’s live TV broadcasting, and examines the circulation of the lunar photographs published in the Romanian newspapers and magazines. The final subchapter discusses the manner in which the Apollo 11 mission was depicted on the postage stamps issued by the Romanian government to mark the event.
The fifth part of the work (titled The audio culture of cosmonautics) focuses on audio recordings that either describe the flight to the Moon in an informative manner (for example, in news reports), or reflect and interpret it creatively, in a particular musical production. In the first subchapter I examine the content of the live radio broadcasting (the reactions and comments of radio presenters and their guests), while in the second subchapter the angle of analysis is changed, with my analizing the lyrics of a poem/song, which I interpret as a local form of American counterculture-like reaction.
The book ends with the sixth part (The material culture of cosmonautics), wherein are examined some original artifacts from the Apollo missions – objects which were either temporarily exhibited in Romania, or have remained, to this day, part of some permanent museum collections. The first subchapter presents a temporary exhibition organized in February 1970, in Bucharest – an exhibition in which a fragment of lunar rock collected by the Apollo 11 crew was exhibited. In the next subchapters I provide a description of the visit to Romania of the Apollo 12 astronauts, followed by an analysis of the Apollo artifacts preserved in the collection of the Romanian National History Museum, in Bucharest.
The first part of the book (titled Historiography and theoretical framework) is meant to familiarize the reader with the main topics in the field of space history, comprizing a review of the social and humanities approaches that investigate the history and culture of space exploration. In the second chapter (Historical context: We choose to go to the Moon) the political context in which the Apollo missions took place is fleshed out, from the founding of NASA to notable moments of the first American manned space programs.
The third part (The written culture of cosmonautics) contains a detailed analysis of written sources: news, press releases, editorials and other articles related to the Apollo 11 mission, published in some of the most important Romanian newspapers and magazines. Also included in this part of the work – due to the chronological proximity of the two events – is a short description of Richard Nixon's visit to Romania.
The fourth part of the book (The visual culture of cosmonautics) presents the results of my investigation of the visual component of the first Moon landing, seen as a major global media event. The first subchapters explore the social impact of the Moon landing’s live TV broadcasting, and examines the circulation of the lunar photographs published in the Romanian newspapers and magazines. The final subchapter discusses the manner in which the Apollo 11 mission was depicted on the postage stamps issued by the Romanian government to mark the event.
The fifth part of the work (titled The audio culture of cosmonautics) focuses on audio recordings that either describe the flight to the Moon in an informative manner (for example, in news reports), or reflect and interpret it creatively, in a particular musical production. In the first subchapter I examine the content of the live radio broadcasting (the reactions and comments of radio presenters and their guests), while in the second subchapter the angle of analysis is changed, with my analizing the lyrics of a poem/song, which I interpret as a local form of American counterculture-like reaction.
The book ends with the sixth part (The material culture of cosmonautics), wherein are examined some original artifacts from the Apollo missions – objects which were either temporarily exhibited in Romania, or have remained, to this day, part of some permanent museum collections. The first subchapter presents a temporary exhibition organized in February 1970, in Bucharest – an exhibition in which a fragment of lunar rock collected by the Apollo 11 crew was exhibited. In the next subchapters I provide a description of the visit to Romania of the Apollo 12 astronauts, followed by an analysis of the Apollo artifacts preserved in the collection of the Romanian National History Museum, in Bucharest.
Research Interests:
The culture of cosmonautics represents a set of practices, representations, and material objects that imagine or describe space exploration, covering four principal areas of manifestation: written sources, visual media, mate- rial... more
The culture of cosmonautics represents a set of practices, representations, and material objects that imagine or describe space exploration, covering four principal areas of manifestation: written sources, visual media, mate- rial objects, and audio productions. Naturally, the ways in which the visual culture of cosmonautics has manifested around the world has varied from one region to another and is influenced by the cultural, economic, and political background of each country. For example, in Romania, space was more visible in certain fields (i.e. philately) and almost absent in other spheres (such as the design of household objects). This article is divided into three parts. Part I focuses on under- standing the culture of space history from an academic perspective. Part II on astrophilately in Romania. Part III on President Richard Nixon’s visit to Romania as part of the worldwide tour of the Apollo 11 astronauts as part of Operation Moonglow.
Research Interests: Cultural History, Anthropology of Science, Visual Culture, History of Technology, History of Science, and 12 moreHistory of Space Travel, STS (Anthropology), Space Exploration, History of Communism, Science Popularization, History of Spaceflight, Space History, Communist Romania, Astroculture, Space Studies, Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Philately
Initiated in 1994, the NASA Space Settlement Contest is an annual competition for students of between the sixth and twelfth grade. Organized and sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center and the NSS (National Space Society – an important... more
Initiated in 1994, the NASA Space Settlement Contest is an annual competition for students of between the sixth and twelfth grade. Organized and sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center and the NSS (National Space Society – an important US-based space advocacy organization), the contest is open to students (individuals or teams) from all over the world. Scrutinizing the winning projects from 2008 to 2018, the analysis investigates, more from a cultural and social perspective than a technical one, how these students included community development in their space settlement plans. The paper seeks to keep a special focus on sociological and anthropological issues such as: social and professional structure, demography (size, age distribution, gender ratio, marital status etc.), and political power.
Research Interests:
The article is a case study on the socio-economic effects of westernization/modernizaton in Bucharest, as reflected in the urban landscape transformations undergone by the main commercial street of pre-modern Bucharest, at the cusp of... more
The article is a case study on the socio-economic effects of westernization/modernizaton in Bucharest, as reflected in the urban landscape transformations undergone by the main commercial street of pre-modern Bucharest, at the cusp of the 19th and 20th centuries. More specifically, the paper focuses on two types of institutions which seem to supplant one another on Lipscani street; namely, on the one hand, the Ottoman-style commercial inn, and on the other, the modern commercial bank. The inn is interpreted are paradigmatic for the pre-modern socio-economic fabric of the Ottoman-era lower-Danube region, while the commercial bank is seen as fundamental to the liberal and democratic setting of modern Romania. Thus, the disappearance of the old inns and the emergence of modern banks in their place is representative of a quintessential paradigm shift in Romanian society: from the patterns of Ottoman pre-modernity, to the models of Western modernity.
Research Interests:
De la revoluțiile anticomuniste din 1989 și până în prezent, fostele țări din blocul socialist au traversat o tranziție în care condamnarea comunismului, dezbaterile asupra gestionării memoriei victimelor represiunii, maniera generală... more
De la revoluțiile anticomuniste din 1989 și până în prezent, fostele țări din blocul socialist au traversat o tranziție în care condamnarea comunismului, dezbaterile asupra gestionării memoriei victimelor represiunii, maniera generală privind raportarea la istoria recentă, cât și articularea unor strategii de memorializare, s-au regăsit în mod curent pe agenda publică. În Europa Centrală, preocuparea pentru definirea și implementarea unor politici ale memoriei a luat forme specifice: de la muzee, practici comemorative, proiecte educaționale și științifice etc. – derulate sub egida instituțiilor oficiale – și până la inițiative punctuale venite din partea societății civile. Pe acest fond s-a cristalizat și ideea înființării unor muzee ale comunismului care să prezinte într-un sens mai larg trecutul recent – redând, în fapt, versiuni locale ale istoriei și experienței totalitare. Astfel de muzee (sau instituții cu profil asemănător: memoriale, expoziții permanente) există în prezent în Berlin, Praga și alte orașe.
Research Interests:
Fenomenul exilului este în general descris şi analizat fie sub raport istoric, fie din perspectivă politologică. Nici n-ar putea fi altfel, dacă admitem ideea că exilul, atunci când devine un fenomen colectiv, cu implicaţii sociologice,... more
Fenomenul exilului este în general descris şi analizat fie sub raport istoric, fie din perspectivă politologică. Nici n-ar putea fi altfel, dacă admitem ideea că exilul, atunci când devine un fenomen colectiv, cu implicaţii sociologice, este parte a istoriei mari a unei naţiuni, în termenii epocii moderne. În acest puzzle inter- şi pluridisciplinar, în care diferite ştiinţe interpretează şi reconstituie imaginea exilului, antropologia, în general, şi ştiinţele etnologice, în particular, pot conduce, prin metodele şi perspectivelor lor specifice, la noi moduri de a cerceta şi de a înţelege fenomenul exilului.
Research Interests:
Recenzie: Vintilă Mihăilescu „Scutecele naţiunii şi hainele împăratului. Note de antropologie publică” (Editura Polirom, 2013).
Research Interests:
Recenzie a lucrării „O istorie a antropologiei”, scrisă de profesorul și antropologul belgian Robert Deliège, tradusă în limba română de Ioan T. Bița, la Editura Cartier, în 2007.