The course highlights Russian women agency in transforming Russia from a profoundly patriarchal society to the first country in the modern history that guaranteed women equality in all social spheres with men. The course is divided into two main parts according to the two transformational periods - from the Bolshevik Revolution to the Soviet Union's collapse (1917-1991) and then from the Post-Soviet era to recent developments in gender formations under capitalism and globalization.
Each part begins with an introductory lecture describing the social, cultural and historic context of the period.The main precondition for choosing these two periods is a parallel of the epochs in terms of women's inclusion into economic, social, cultural and political structures and organizing various groups for emancipation. The changes in the political system and the overall economic, social and cultural transformations are analyzed as structured offers for women in "acting space"; and, also as a significant factor of transformation in both periods.
Although both periods started by movements from below with high hopes for free and democratic society, they can be assessed as authoritarian even by women themselves. Among other issues - the oppressive "double-burden" of the later Soviet Union that caused Russian women rejection of the equality for a revived version of the "separate spheres" ideology characteristic of the nineteenth century.The turn from the early 20th century to the first decade of the 21st century is also grounded to the most crucial historical events which have shaped women's life experiences - the World War I and the World War II.Russian Women in "Front lines/Home Front.Research on the First World War has been experiencing a surge in popularity now as in 2014 we shall commemorate its hundredth anniversary. WWI caused the huge changes in social, economical, political and cultural life all over the globe.
In all participating states this war not only led to the extensive support of the soldiers by women on the "home front" - strongly conceived as a women's sphere - but also in the combat zones. As a result it changed seriously gender roles and gender relations. The War and Revolutions had a major influence on gender relations in Russia and gave a great impetus to women's emancipation. February Revolution made possible official mobilization of women in regular army and Russian Women's Battalions of Death was formed at the end of the WWI. This phenomenon was widely propagated by international press and caused an admiration among women's organizations in other countries. Courage of Russian women-soldiers was used by international feminists as an argument in discussions on gender equality.
The proposed World War I course will cover the following themes:
- Women's question and women's movement on the eve of WWI;
- Gender and Nation: the Transformation of Gender Public Discourse in Russian Media during WWI;
- The Home Front: patriotic and charity activity of Russian women during WWI;
- The Widening Spheres: Wars and professional activity of Russian women
- Women on the Front lines: female medical service and Women's Battalions
- Women's suffrage and War: Issues of Citizenship in Russia during World War I
- Patriotism and Internationalism: international contacts of Russian women's organizations during the World War I
- The fate of the Women's Suffrage Movement in Russia after the October Revolution (1918-1923)The Second World War had even a greater impact on women's destinies: it caused a new shift in their occupational and professional employment.
This shift was reinforced by the enormous distortions which occurred in demographic structure of the society - high disproportion of male and female population, mass widowship and "bezotsovschina" (fatherless children) and the Stalinist backlash including abolition of abortions and divorces. These issues will be covered in the World War II course.Course Methodology:Methodological approaches in the analysis and description of the varieties of women's destinies will embrace written autobiographies, memoirs and diaries, oral histories and autobiographical accounts.
The special attention will be paid to the notion of "social generation" and to the study of Soviet family genealogies. Research "kitchen" and research data of the joint international projects will be presented, including insights and findings of Prof. Paul Thompson (Oral History Society, Oxford) and Prof. Daniel Bertaux (Maison des Sciences de l' Homme, Paris).Particular attention will be paid to the reconfiguration of individual and collective memory due to traumatic experiences and to the organization of personal memory around collective identity. Required reading will be in English.Terms Offered: Note(s): Knowledge of Russian is not required (though welcome).
Period
29-07-2013 - 09-08-2013 (2 weeks)
Target group
Students of the Master Level
Course aim
This course gives a picture of the Russian gender order during more than one century and is therefore an important source of information for those who are interested in understanding class and gender division of the Russian society. The key-words apart from the main concepts of women, gender and transformation, are grassroots mobilization and agency, social mobility and civil society, opportunity structures, collective identity and subjectivity, individual and collective memory.
Credits
2.0 ECTS credits
Course fee
EUR 850: Course fee including accommodation
Course leader
The Institute of International Programmes
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia
Address: Office 111, Miklukho-Maklaya Str. 10/2, Moscow, Russia.
Postal code: 117198
City: Moscow
Country: Russia
Website: http://www.moscowsummerschool.ru
E-mail: moscowsummerschool@gmail.com
Phone: +74954347016
Russian women in transforming society
label
Diverse
calendar_month
2013-06-03, 00:00
autorenew
2025-09-29, 17:01
history_edu
Maria Dumitru
