Gender & Post-Soviet Discourses

BALTIC WORLDSbalticworlds.com Surveillance & female participation Post-colonialism & intersectionality Male roles in comic series Paternalistic images of power Masculinity in West & East Translating the global gender agenda Gender & post-Soviet discourses Baltic Worlds special section Illustration: Ragni Svensson Guest editors: Liudmila Voronova, Ekaterina Kalinina, and Ulrika Dahl BALTIC Illustration: Ragni Svensson WORLDS Special section 1–2/2015 Introduction. Gender and post-Soviet discourses uring the last decade, the de- what Alexander Etkind and several other constructed through various dimen- skova’s essay, which reveals some of the Europe and Russia (New York: Haworth, 2005); bates about social transforma- scholars refer to as the “conservative sions. In this issue, we try to provide an possible reasons behind the problems we Elena Gapova, Almira Usmanova, and Andrea tions in post-Soviet countries revolution” of the beginning of the 21st intersectional perspective on gender in have highlighted in this introduction, one Peto, eds., Gendernye istorii Vostochnoi Evropy [Gender histories of Eastern Europe] (Minsk: have mainly been focused on century.4 This revolution, as we see it, post-Soviet discourses in which the con- of which is gender equality being “lost in EHU, 2002), etc. The most recent publication Dwhether these processes have come to an becomes the third one to mark the post- tributors focus not only on gender, but translation” into national languages and is a special issue of the journal Feminist end, what kind of trajectory they have or Soviet countries as belonging to the same also on class, ethnic, racial, and religious local discourses. Media Studies on post-socialist femininities: contents had, and, most importantly, whether it space: although scholars have talked background, and on sexual identity. We are delighted that this issue ap- see Nadia Kaneva, “Mediating Post-Socialist 38 Postcolonial post-Soviet trajectories is possible to place countries so different about the “post” countries in relation to The issue opens with an article by Ma- pears as a forum for both emerging and Femininities: Contested Histories and and intersectional coalitions, Madina from one another under the common ru- the two modernist revolutions of the 20th dina Tlostanova, who looks at the impor- established scholars who are engaging in Visibilities”, Feminist Media Studies 15—1 (2015): Tlostanova. bric “post-Soviet”.1 century — the socialist/communist and tance and specificity of the geopolitical an exciting discussion about gender and 1—17, doi: 10.1080/14680777.2015.988389. 44 Gendered surveillance and media In this issue, we take up this discussion the capitalist,5 — it is this third, counter- positioning in postsocialist gendered dis- post-Soviet discourses. 4 Alexander Etkind and Alexander ≈ usage in post-Soviet space: the case using the framework of gender studies, counterrevolution that to a large extent courses using Central Asia and the Cauca- Filippov, “Konservativnaya revolutsiya: nezavershennaya epokha” [Conservative of Azerbaijan, Ilkin Mehrabov. providing the reader with the perspec- forms the gender discourses of today. The sus as graphic examples and highlighting Liudmila Voronova, Ekaterina Kalinina revolution: an unfinished era],Gefter , January 48 Paternalistic images of power in Soviet tives of researchers who have lived or main aim of this revolution, as we under- the intersection of the postsocialist and Department of Media and Communication, 28, 2015, accessed February 17, 2015, http:// photography, Ekaterina Vikulina. worked in the “post-Soviet countries” and stand it, is to articulate the uniqueness the postcolonial. Södertörn University. gefter.ru/archive/14142. 57 Searching for new male identity: going whose research is primarily concerned of the given national culture by referring Ilkin Mehrabov continues the dis- 5 Susanne Brandstadter, “Transitional Spaces: west or going back? Daria Dmitrieva. with that space. to “roots” and “origins”, which in many cussion on the southern Caucasus by Postsocialism as a Cultural Process”, Critique 64 Studies on men and masculinities The idea to put together this special countries of the post-Soviet space in fact addressing the political challenges and of Anthropology 27—2 (2007): 131—145, doi: in Ukraine: the dynamics of Baltic Worlds section, “Gender and post- leads to a strengthening of traditionalism threats to female online activists and 10.1177/0308275X07076801. (under)development, Tetyana Bureychak. Soviet discourses”, was much inspired by and patriarchy.6 Paradoxically, in this journalists in Azerbaijan. His main focus 6 Anna Temkina and Elena Zdravomyslova, 69 Translating “gender equality”: a workshop with the same name that took search for originality, the countries use is on state surveillance apparatuses, both “Gender’s Crooked Path: Feminism Confronts references northwestern Russia meets the global place in May 2013 at Södertörn Universi- the same technologies and tools as every online and offline. Russian Patriarchy”, Current Sociology 62–2 1 The post-Soviet space includes 15 independent gender equality agenda, Yulia Gradskova. 2 (2014): 253–270, doi: 10.1177/0011392113515566. ty. We realized that despite the numerous other country and follow the global trend The role of the state in defining the states that emerged from the Soviet Union academic and public discussions about of establishing their “unique national limits of women’s presence in the public after its dissolution in 1991. The 15 states gender transitions in the post-Soviet and, identity”. sphere and public space is also discussed form five groups: the Russian Federation guest editors more broadly, post-communist and post- by Ekaterina Vikulina, who turns to the (recognized as a successor state to the socialist space.3 there is an urgent need hat does this tendency political meanings behind the prevalence USSR); the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia and Liudmila Voronova working with the questions of Russian pa- to reach a deeper understanding of the mean to the scholars focus- of paternalistic images in Soviet and post- Lithuania; East-Central Europe — Ukraine, MA in journalism, Moscow triotism, biopolitics, nostalgia, and national Belarus and Moldova; the Southern Caucasus everyday discursive practices implicated ing on gender issues? Our Soviet photography. State University. Defended identity. Also manages cultural projects and — Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia; and her doctoral dissertation Gen- conduct research on cross-cultural artistic in these changes. We follow the lead sug- contributors show that Daria Dmitrieva continues the discus- Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, gested by the prior research in this field Wgender today becomes not only a politi- sion of representations of masculinity by dering in Political Journalism: A practices in Nordkonst. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. by discussing the presence of history in cal issue, but also a political trigger. It turning to early post-Soviet comics, dis- 2 The workshop “Gender and Post-Soviet Comparative Study of Russia what are now defined as “post” discours- becomes a platform for political domina- covering that comic art becomes a form of Discourses” was sponsored by the Centre for and Sweden in 2014. Her research interests Ulrika Dahl es, by talking about the Western-Eastern tion and ideology mainstreaming as well sublimation of post-Soviet trauma. Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) at lie within the intersection of gender media Cultural anthropologist and symbolic axis that runs through both the as for political activism and engagement. Södertörn University and by the academic studies, political communication research, associate professor of gender cultural space and the academic perspec- Whether our authors talk about online espite the evident need for network CERES (http://www.helsinki.fi/ and comparative studies of journalism studies at Södertörn Univer- tives, and by highlighting the political political activists, the portrayal of Fathers research in the subfield of aleksanteri/ceres/). cultures. sity. Her research centers on nature of gender issues. of the Nation, or comic books and educa- masculinity studies, thanks 3 See e.g. Ildikó Asztalos Morell et al., eds., feminist and queer theory, The Soviet past appears in the articles tion, gender appears as a conjunction to Tetyana Bureychak’s thor- Gender Transitions in Russia and Eastern Ekaterina Kalinina European ethnography, and histories of gen- Europe (Gdansk: Gondolin, 2005); Natalia of this issue as a common denominator between the past and the present, where Dough overview, we learn that masculinity PhD in media and communi- der studies, among other things. Currently Stepanova and Elena Kochkina, eds., that apparently has never dissolved and the established present seems not to studies have not succeeded in becoming Gendernaya rekonstruktsiya politicheskikh cation studies, Södertörn Uni- she leads the project Queer(y)ing kinship in now more and more visibly determines recognize the past, but at the same time established as an academic discipline sistem [Gender reconstruction of political versity. Visiting researcher at the Baltic region. the present, defines the everyday in the eagerly reenacts the past discourses of in Ukraine — nor in the rest of the post- systems], (Saint Petersburg: Aleteya, 2004); Copenhagen University and most bizarre and unexpected forms. The domination. Soviet countries. Alexandar Stulhofer and Theo Sandfort, eds.,

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