Civic Activism in Rural Transylvania: The Case of Folk Gazettes (gazete poporale), 1867–1914

Abstract

The political assimilation of peasants within the framework of nation-states, alongside the politicization of rural societies, has garnered increasing attention from historians, sociologists, and anthropologists, resulting in a diverse array of studies. This article shows that the press and the genre dedicated explicitly to peasants in particular, known as “gazete poporale” (folk gazettes, gazettes aimed at the people), played a pivotal role in fostering civic consciousness among Romanian peasants in Transylvania between 1867 and 1914. These folk newspapers, also dubbed “people’s papers,” represented a distinct form of journalism, which was characterized by a simplified discourse tailored to the literacy levels of Transylvanian Romanian peasants. Their aim was to furnish essential information for their social, economic, and cultural advancement while also politically mobilizing the peasants in alignment with the ethos of the national movement.