On Ethnoerotism in Cross-Cultural Perspective: Mythology, Poetics, and National Genesis in Latin America, Romania, and Ancient Rome

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I found this article fascinating to read. Firstly, because the author understands in depth the importance of origin in the formation of the ethnic group or nation: it is not an isolated, unimportant act, nor is it a decree. On the contrary, it is a sublime, extraordinary moment. Therefore, the author has found a very original angle, eroticism, in the case of the union between natives and foreigners that has been the myth of national unity, for the nation of Mexico and others in Latin America. This union/encounter of unknown people finds attraction, sympathy, affection, admiration, astonishment, all the ingredients that can be present in eroticism, ethno because it alludes to cultural differences, of geographical belonging. The conquest and subsequent miscegenation has generally been contextualised in actions of abduction, rape, domination, subjugation and servility of the indigenous woman by the dominant white man. The author takes a novel angle by proposing another narrative that is not violent, but erotic, as he says, giving realism to the myth.

He finds in miscegenation the premise to make links and connections between ethnoerotism and ethnosymbolism in the story of Dacia as the genesis of the Romanian people and the abduction of the Sabine women.

I have a special suggestion: what is mass exogamy -mestizaje/miscegantion- should be elaborated more clearly and forcefully, as this is key to understand the 3 cases, their similarities or differences.  It is a good point that love, eroticism, can be present in the ethnogenesis of nations.

Author Response

Thank you for your comments. Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

In? “On Ethnoerotism in Cross-Culural Perspective. Mythology, Poetics, and National Genesis in Latin America, Romania, and Ancient Rome” the author is explaining the term “ethnoerotism” as an ethnogenesis national myth of national bounding as a result of a mythical ancestor love male and female are of two distinct people or nation.

The Author is engaging with three ethnoerotic beginnings of modern nations looking at the poetic works  by Natividad Gutiérrez (nations in Latin America), Vasile Pârvan (Romanian people), and Titus Livius and Plutarch (founding of ancient Rome).

I would propose three things to improve the manuscript.  

1. Explanation the concepts section, about ethnoeroticism, should come  (probably in Introduction or a section by itself) before the section 2 which starts engaging with the first example Natividad Gutiérrez on Nation Building in Latin America.

2. On page 3, last paragraph, which elaborates on the composition of the modern Romanian language, the author should mention the large percentage of Slavic words.

3 A conclusion section is needed to sum up the thesis and the arguments of the paper

Comments on the Quality of English Language

maybe a proofread by a native speaker could improve the text

Author Response

Thank you for your comments. Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf