The course explores the discourses and practices of gender, a major line for the organization of social life, in post-Soviet society. The focus on gender, in many ways, brings the understanding of cultural and social transformation in the region through the last decade. Simultaneously, Soviet and post-Soviet experiences provide a registry of approaches, policies and practices (both successful and failed) in dealing with the issues that any modern society faces.
Beginning with the discussion of gender constructions in the late 1980-ies (a short overview of state welfare, resource allocation and work policies), the course moves on to the emergence of a new debate on women, family and intimacy which accompanies institutional changes of perestroika. With «the West» becoming a point of reference in the public discourse, sexualized redefinitions of women and men are imagined as the «European (=democratic) comeback» and a justification of the genderedness of new social stratification, in which the development of «class» is inseparable from the emergence of a «male subject», who «did not exist» under socialism.
Later discussion of the post-Soviet period is focused on the decay of socialist welfare and rethinking of male and female agency and citizenship within new national projects and nationalist ideologies. The themes of «postcolonialism», subject-object discursive constructions and globalization shape the views of contemporary East-West interaction: the post-totalitarian era power discourse shifts from missiles (former representations of power) to «objects of desire» through (imaginary) commodification of bodies. Finally, women’s activism and political participation are explored as an attempt of «new agency» between «Western feminism» and Soviet emancipation.
The course combines approaches from several disciplines: sociology of gender, anthropology, cultural studies, political science.
- Introduction: the Soviet Gender Contract
Film: Moscow Does not Believe in Tears
Readings:
Anna Temkina, 1997. «Gender Contract and Gender System in Soviet Russia», Idantutkimus- Rysslandsforskning. No.2, pp.6-23.
Katherine Verdery, 1996. What Was Socialism and What Comes Next?, Princeton U Press, pp.62-69.
Susan Gal and Gail Kligman, The Politics of Gender After Socialism. Princeton U. Press, 2000, pp. 11-14 (After Socialism).
Rebecca Kay, 2000. Russian Women and Their Organizations, St. Martin’s Press, pp. 17-26.
Buckley, Mary (ed), 1986. Soviet Social Scientists Talking: An Official Debate About Women. MacMillan Press, Pp. 13-18, 31-39, 67-72, 101-105.
- Coming Back from War: the Soviet Private Sphere
Readings:
Buckley Mary, 1989. «Women and Ideology in the Soviet Union», The U of Michigan Press, pp. 191-219.
Francine du Plessix Gray, 1990. «Growing Up Powerful», «Why They Dress Up» in: Soviet Women: Walking the Tightrope, Doubleday, pp.40-50, 158-170.
Olson and Matkovsky, 1994. «Soviet and American Families: A Comparative Overview», pp. 9- 31.
Boym, Svetlana, 1994. Common Places: Mythologies of Everyday Life in Russia, Cambridge U Press, pp. 29-41, 121-165.
Golubeva, Natalya, 1980. «The Other Side of the Medal» in: Woman and Russia. First Feminist Samizdat, London: Sheba Feminist Publishers, pp.53-56.
- Late Socialism, Work, Welfare Politics, Resource Allocation
Readings:
Ledeneva, Alena, 1998. Russia’s Economy of Favours: Blat, Networking and Informal Change. Cambridge U Press, 1998, pp.1-4, 11-12, 87-113.
Women in the USSR: Facts and Figures. Moscow, Progress Publishers, 1985, pp.38-65.
Danes, Doudchenko and Yasnaya, 1994. «Work and Family Life» in: Families Before and After Perestroika: Soviet and US Perspectives, The Guilford Press, pp. 156-180.
Zimmerman et al, 1994. «A Family Policy Illustration: Soviet and American Childcare» in: Families Before and After Perestroika, The Guilford Press, pp. 197-216.
*Suggested reading: Borchorst, Anette, 1999. «Feminist Thinking About Welfare State» in Revisioning Gender (Myra Marx Ferree ed., 99-127), London: Sage Publications.
- Perestroika: «Western Values» and Gender Debate. The «Discovery» of Sexuality
Readings:
Kon, Igor, 1995. «Sexuality as the Mirror of Russian Revolution» in The Sex in Russia: from the Age of Tsars to Today, The Free Press, pp.265-372.
Lissyutkina, Larissa, 1993. «Soviet Women at the Crossroads of Perestroika» in: Gender Politics and Post-Communism (Funk and Muller eds.), pp.274-286.
Olga Voronina, 1994. «Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene? The Construction and Reconstruction of Sex during the Perestroika Period» in: Women in Russia: a New Era in Russian Feminism (A. Posadskaya ed.), London: Verso, pp.135-145.
Shreeves, Rosamund, 1994. «Sexual Revolution or Sexploitation? The Pornography and Erotica Debate in the Soviet Union» in: Women in the face of change: the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and China (edited by Shirin Rai, Hilary Pilkington,).Routledge, 1992.
- Perestorika (cntd): Society’s Reproduction vs. Women’s Labour Participation. Construction of Femininity
Readings:
Einhorn, Barbara,1993. «Self-determination Under Threat: the State and Reproductive Rights» In: Cinderella Goes to Market, London: Verso, pp.74-107.
Goven, Joanna,2000. «New Parliament, Old Discourse? The Parental Leave Debate in Hungary» In: Reproducing Gender: Politics, Publics, and Everyday Life After Socialism (Gal and Kligman ed.), Princeton U. Press.
Yelena Mezentseva, 1994. «Equal Opportunities or Protectionist Measures? The Choice Facing Women» in: Women in Russia: a New Era in Russian Feminism (A. Posadskaya ed.), London: Verso, pp.109- 122.
Buckley, Mary (ed.), 1992. Perestroika and Soviet Women, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Alexander Ardishvili, 1996. «Before the Fall: Economic and Social Problems» in: Russian Women in Politics and Society (Wilma Rule ed.), Greenwood Press, pp. 97-106.
*Suggested reading: Deacon, Bob and Julia Szalai, eds. 1990. Social Policy in the New Eastern Europe: What Future for Socialist Welfare? Avebury: Aldershot.
Blank, Rebecca, 1994. «Does a Larger Social Safety Net Mean Less Economic Flexibility?» In Working Under Different Rules (R. Freeman ed.). New York: Russel Sage Foundation.
- New Media Images and «New» Sexuality
Readings:
Rebecca Kay, 1997. «Images of an Ideal Woman: Perceptions of the Russian Womanhood Through the Media, Education and Women’s Own Eyes» in: Post- Soviet Women: From the Baltic to Central Asia (mary Buckley ed.), Cambridge U Press.
Borestein, Eliot, «About That: Deploying and Deploring Sex in Postsoviet Russia» in Studies in XX Century Literature, Winter 2000.
Valerie Sperling,2000. »The «New Sexism»: Images of Russian Women During the Transition» in: Russia’s Torn Safety Nets, St. Martin’s Press, pp. 173-186.
Laurie Essig, 1999. Queer in Russia. A Story of Self, Sex and Other. Duke U. Press.
Suggested reading: Goldschmidt, Paul, «Pornography in Russia» in: Consuming Russia (Adele Baker ed.), Duke U Press, 1999, pp. 318-333.
- Post-Soviet Social Stratification: What Happens to Women and How
Readings:
Timo Piirainen. Towards a New Social Order in Russia. Transforming Structures of Everyday Life. Dartmouth, 1997, pp. 171-205.
Walter Connor, 2000. «New World of Work: Employment, Unemployment and Adaptation" in: Russia’s Torn Safety Nets: Health and Social Welfare During the Transition, St. Martin’s Press, pp.191-208.
Cronberg, Tarja, 1997. «The Feeling of Home: Russian Women in the Defence Industry and the Transformation of Their Identities» in: The European Journal of Women’s Studies, 1997, V.4, issue 3.
Valerie Sperling, 1999. «Unemployment Has a Woman’s Face» in: Organizing Women in Contemporary Russia», Cambridge U Press, pp. 146-158.
Kovacs and Varadi, 2000. «Women’s Life Trajectories and Class Formation in Hungary» in Reproducing Gender: Politics, Publics and Everyday Life After Socialism (Gal and Kligman Ed),Princeton University Press.
- Post-Socialist Stratification (cntd). Masculinity and the Formation of Middle Class
Readings:
The Russian Transformation (Ed. B. Glad, E. Shiraev). St. Martin’s Press, 1999, pp.109-118.
Faraday, George. Revolt of the Filmmakers. The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000.
Bertman, S. 2000. New Rich, New Poor, New Russia: Winners and Losers. Serguei Oushakine, 2000. «The Quantity of Style. Imaginary Consumption in Post-Soviet Russia» in: Theory, Culture and Society, London: sage, V. 17(5), pp.97-120.
Peggy Watson, «Civil Society and Politization of Difference in Eastern Europe», in: Transitions, Environments, Translations: The Meanings of Feminism in Contemporary Politics (J. Scott and C. Kaplan eds.), New York, Routledge, 1998.
Tatyana Zhurzhenko, 2000. «The ‘Free Market’ Ideology and Postsocialist Metamorphoses of Female Identity», European Journal of Women’s Studies, 2000, v.8.
*Suggested reading: Wedel, Janine, 1998. Collision and Collusion: the Strange Case of Western Aid to Eastern Europe, 1990-1998». New York: St. Martin’s Press.
- The «Western Male» and Eastern Europe: Labour Migration, Mixed Marriages, Trafficking and Prostitution
Film: The Window to Paris
Readings:
Altman, D. 2001 Global Sex. The U of Chicago Press.
Rogach S., Shimukovich S. «Trafficking: Do Traditions Continue?» in: Belarus in the World, 1998, #3, pp. 56-58.
Bridger, Kay and Pinnick, 1996. «Sexual Exploitation and the New Labour Market» in: No More Heroines? Russia, Women and the Market, Routledge, pp.165-192.
Gillian Caldwell, 1998. «Sold Into Sex Trade» in: Transitions, V.5, #1, pp.70-71.
E. Kofman and R. Sales, 1998. «Migrant Women and Exclusion in Europe» in: European Journal Of Women’s Studies, V. 5, issues 3-4, pp. 386-388.
- Post-Soviet National Projects and Gender Order
Readings:
Yuval-Davis Nira, 1997. Gender and Nation, Sage Publications, pp. 39-68.
Katherine Verdery, 1996. What Was Socialism and What Comes Next?, Princeton U Press, pp. 69-82. Gapova Elena, 1998. «Women in the National Discourse in Belarus» in: The European Journal of Women’s Studies, 1998, V.5, Issues 3-4, pp.477-488.
Salecl, Renata, 1994. The Spoils of Freedom: Psychoanalysis and Feminism After the Fall of Socialism, Routledge, pp. 11-19.
Kay, Rebecca, 2000. «Born to Be Mothers? Motherhood as Every woman’s Natural Calling» in: Russian Women and Their Organizations, pp.65-82.
- Unexpected Parallels: Is it About Postcolonialism?
Readings:
Said, Edward. Orientalism (any edition). Introduction. Serguei Oushakine, 2000. «The Fatal Splitting» (forthcoming). Bourgeois World» (Cooper and Stoler ed.), pp. 373-400.
Chatterjee, Partha, 1990. «The Nationalist Resolution of the Women’s Question» in: Recasting Women: Essays in Indian History, New Brunswick, pp. 233-253.
Draculic, Slavenka, 1998. «What We Learned from Western Feminists» in: Transitions, V. 5, #1, pp.42-47.
Ugresic, Dubravka, 1998. «Nice People Don’t Mention Such Things» in: European Journal of Women’s Studies, V. 5, issues 3-4, pp. 297-310.
*Suggested reading: Benhabib, Seyla. Under Western Eyes.
- Women’s Activism and its NGOzation
Readings:
Posadskaya, Anastasia, 1992. «Self-portrait of a Russian Feminist» in: New Left Review, # 95, pp.3-19.
Noonan, Norma, 1996. «The Bolshevik Legacy and Russian Women’s Movements» in: Russian Women in Politics and Society, Greenwood Press, pp. 77-91.
Smejkalova, Jirina, 1994. «Do Czech Women Need Feminism?» in: Women’s Studies International Forum, 17, pp. 277-282.
Valerie Sperling, 1999. «International Influences on the Russian Women’s Movement», In: Organizing Women in Contemporary Russia: Engendering Transition. Cambridge U Press, pp. 220-246.
Kay, Rebecca, 2000. «Challenging Inequality: Legislative Approaches versus Women’s Activism» in: Russian Women and Their Organizations, pp. 109-119.
*Suggested reading: Tiffany Petros, «Mop, Shop and Shut Up.Feminism in the Czech Republic», Central Europe Review, 2000, Dec 11; the reply by Elena Gapova, «Understanding the Other. What Kind of Feminism Do Czech Women Need?», Central Europe Review, 2001, v. 3, n. 2.
- Political Participation: Who Do Political Women Represent?
Readings:
Gal, Susan, 1991, «Between Speech and Silence: the Problematics of Research on Language and Gender» in (Michaela di Leonardo ed.) Gender at the Crossroads of Knowledge: Feminist Anthropology in the Postmodern Era (University of California Press).
Einhorn, Barbara, 1993. Where Have All the Women Gone? Politics and Participation» in: Cinderella Goes to Market, London; Verso, pp. 148-167.
Barbara Burrell, 1999. «The Presence and Influence of Women in Local US Party Organizations: What Does It Matter?» in: Comparative Political Parties and Party Elites: Essays in Honor of Samuel Eldersveld», U. of Michigan Press.
Tatyana Marchenko, 1999. «Women in the New Russian Elite» in: The new Elite in Post-communist Eastern Europe, A&M University Press, pp.330-339.
Mary Buckley, 1997. «Adaptation of the Soviet Women’s Committee: Deputies’ Voices From ‘Women of Russia» in: Post-Soviet Women…, pp. 157-163.
*Suggested reading: Bourdieau, Pierre. Language and Symbolic Power, Harvard University Press, 1991.
Arthur Miller, 1999. «Mass-elite Linkage Through Political Parties in Post-Soviet Russia», in: Comparative Political Parties and Party Elites: Essays in Honor of Samuel Eldersveld», U. of Michigan Press.
- Wrap-up, final discussion.
Final paper due.
