Overview

Exploring the cultural history of surveillance practices of the Securitate, Romania’s secret police during its communist period, the book blends biographical details in a historical inquiry to establish the concepts of psuchegraphy, dossierveillance, and banalization of evil in the study of Securitate Archives. In the context of communist Romania under the reign of Nicolae Ceauşescu (1965–89), dossierveillance was a type of surveillance that stresses the miasmic effect of Securitate dossiers in the daily life of Romanians. Centered around the analysis of this concept, the book presents a unique account of the surveillance practices of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, expanding its relevance to fear in the current neo-liberal societies. This book will appeal to students of Eastern European history and politics, criminology, sociology, anthropology, and surveillance studies.

Full Product Details

Author:   Cristina Plamadeala (McGill University, Canada)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.570kg
ISBN:  

9781032497532

ISBN 10:   103249753
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   25 June 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Part 1: An Itinerant in the Securitate Archives 1. Three Questions 2. Doing Research in the Securitate Archives 3. Brief Historical Overview: Romania and the Other Satellite States during the Cold War Part 2: The Reluctant Betrayal: Collaboration During Nicolae Ceauşescu Regime (1965-89) 4. Defining Psuchegraphy: Antonie Plămădeală’s Novel Trei Ceasuri în Iad 5. The Four Stages of Psuchegraphic Work in Securitate Manuals 6. On Dossierveillance in Communist Romania under Ceauşescu: its tangible dimension 7. On Dossierveillance in Communist Romania under Ceauşescu: its non-tangible dimension 8. Post-recruitment: Between Banalization of Evil and Perpetration Part 3: Dossierveillance Then and Now 9. On Centralized Deliberate Dossierveillance 10. Centralized Deliberate Dossierveillance and Lustration 11. A Few More Thoughts on Dossierveillance

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Author Information

Cristina Plamadeala is a researcher. She writes about surveillance practices in totalitarian and neo-liberal societies. She has published works on the subject of religion, culture and politics, Romanian history, and the history of communism. A philosopher and historian of Eastern European history by training, with a background in theology, her work attempts to ask historical questions through philosophical and theological lenses. In her spare time, she writes novels and divides her time between Quebec, Canada, and France.

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