Gender and Power in Eastern Europe : Changing Concepts of Femininity and Masculinity in Power Relations

This book explores the contradictory development of gender roles in Central and Eastern Europe including Russia. In light of the social changes that followed the collapse of communism and the rise of new conservatism in Eastern Europe, it studies new forms of gender relationships and reassesses the status quo of female empowerment. Moreover, leading scholars in gender studies discuss how right-wing populism and conservative movements have affected sociopolitical discourses and concepts related to gender roles, rights, and attitudes, and how Western feminism in the 1990s may have contributed to this conservative turn. Mainly focusing on power constellations and gender, the book is divided into four parts: the first explores the history of and recent trends in feminist movements in Eastern Europe, while the second highlights the dynamics and conflicts that gained momentum after neoconservative parties gained political power in post-socialist countries. In turn, the third part discusses new empowerment strategies and changes in gender relationships. The final part illustrates the identities, roles, and concepts of masculinity created in the sociocultural and political context of Eastern Europe. Acknowledgements 6 Contents 7 Editors and Contributors 9 Introduction 15 1 The Second Wave of Retraditionalization 18 2 Multiple Emancipatory Trajectories and Changing Gender Relations 20 References 24 Part I: Feminism in Eastern Europe Revisited 26 The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend: The Curious Tale of Feminism and Capitalism in Eastern Europe 27 1 Introduction 27 2 Feminisms East and West 28 3 Gender Mainstreaming and Economic Suffering 32 4 In Lieu of a Conclusion 35 References 35 Blaming Feminists Is Not Understanding History: A Critical Rejoinder to Ghodsee ́s Take on Feminism, Neoliberalism and National... 37 References 45 Feminist Stories from an Illiberal State: Revoking the License to Teach Gender Studies in Hungary at a University in Exile (CE... 46 1 Introduction 46 2 The Ban on Teaching Gender Studies 47 3 The CEU Story: From Dissent to Exile 49 4 Pursuing Science in an Illiberal State: A Personal Story 50 5 The Morals of these Stories about Threats and Losses 52 References 55 Emancipation is More than the Freedom of Choice: Rethinking the Feminist Agenda in Postsocialism 56 1 Introduction 56 2 Theorizing Women ́s Emancipation beyond Socialist vs. Liberal Dichotomy 58 3 ``It Is in My Character: Myself, Myself, Always Forward ́ ́: Emancipation of Petty Traders 61 4 Solidarity in Precarity: A Way to Go for Postsocialist Feminism? 64 5 Conclusion 67 References 68 Part II: New Conflicts and Empowerment Strategies 71 Ukraine ́s Female Combatants: The Influence of Conflict on Gender Roles and Empowerment 72 1 Introduction 72 2 Methodology and Sampling 73 3 Female Roles in Ukrainian Society 74 4 Women in Armed Conflict and Empowerment 76 5 Research Findings 79 5.1 The Challengers of Traditional Femininity 79 5.2 The Different One 83 5.3 The Crossers 84 5.4 The Keepers of Traditional Femininity 87 6 Conclusions 88 References 89 Gender Roles in the Rear of the War in Donbas: Women ́s Engagement in the Care of Wounded Combatants 92 1 Participant Observation at the Military Hospital in Kharkiv 95 2 Becoming a Volunteer: Situations Leading to Involvement at the Military Hospital 96 2.1 Emotional, Affective, and Sentimental Drivers of Volunteer Care 97 2.1.1 Yaryna: Shock at the State of the Hospital Facilities 98 2.1.2 Yana, Natalia, Oksana: Concern for Wounded Strangers 98 2.1.3 Nadia and Elena: Concern for Relatives Who Have Left for the Front 100 2.2 The Nested Registers: Social, Familial, and Professional-of Engagement 101 3 Caregiving Practices with Affective and Social Repercussions 103 3.1 Attachments and Social Connections at the Military Hospital 103 3.1.1 Very Close Bonds Within the Micro-Group of Volunteers 104 3.1.2 Special Affective Relationships with the Wounded 105 3.2 The Social Value of Aiding the Wounded 106 4 A Professional Life Divided Between the Professionalization of Their Actions and Financial Marginalization 108 4.1 Gradual Acquisition of Professional Know-How 109 4.2 Great Professional and Financial Precariousness 111 5 Conclusion 112 References 113 Russian Vicious Circles: The Facebook Flash Mob #, Biopolitics, and Rape Culture 115 1 Posting the Powerlessness 116 2 Initiating Collective Psychoanalysis 119 3 Facebook and Empowerment 121 4 If the Victim Is Ashamed, It Means It is their Fault: So they Do not Need Help 122 5 The Biopolitics of Violence and Rape Culture 123 6 What is Left to Say 126 References 128 The Ambivalence of the Ordinary: The Polish Women ́s Strike (OSK) and the Women ́s March 8th Alliance (PK8M) in a Comparative Pe... 130 1 Conceptual Approaches: Ordinariness and Populist Elites-the People Dichotomies 132 2 ``Ordinary People ́ ́ and ``Ordinary Women ́ ́ in Poland as a Subject of Research: Possible Contexts 134 3 Approaches to the Concept of ``Ordinary Women ́ ́: The Polish Women ́s Strike and the Women ́s March 8th Alliance 138 4 Conclusion 144 5 Annotation 145 References 146 Part III: Work, Money, and Power 150 Putting Care at the Center: Women Organizing Trade Unions in the Care Sector in Poland 151 1 The Politicization of Caring 152 2 Women and Care in Poland 153 3 Nurseries 155 4 Women in Trade Unions 155 5 Research Focus 156 6 Methodology 156 7 Women ́s Trade Unions in Care Occupations 157 8 Conclusions 161 References 162 Questioning the Retraditionalization Thesis: Gender Differences in Paid and Unpaid Work in Bulgaria (1970-2010) 163 1 Introduction 163 2 The Retraditionalization Thesis Revisited: Why and How? 164 3 Bulgarian Women in Employment (1970-2010): Stability Not Retreat 168 4 ``Return ́ ́ to Home? Characteristics of the ``Second Shift ́ ́ in Bulgaria (1970-1971 to 2009-2010) 171 5 Conclusion 175 References 176 Autonomy as Empowerment, or How Gendered Power Manifests Itself in Contemporary Russian Families 179 1 Introduction 179 2 Theories of Power 181 3 How Has Gendered Power in the Household Been Studied? 183 4 The Soviet Gender Order 185 5 Money and Power in Soviet Families and in Russian Families Today 188 6 Conclusions 191 References 193 Part IV: Changing Concepts of Masculinity and Fatherhood 196 Masculine Strategies in Russian Orthodoxy: From Asceticism to Militarization 197 1 Disproportion in Russian Orthodoxy and Its Dynamics 197 2 The Standard Russian Model of Masculinity in the Consumer Era 198 3 Money and Opportunities for Material Achievement 201 4 Ways of Men ́s (Hyper)Compensation 204 5 Militarization: Another Masculine Strategy 207 6 Conclusion 209 References 210 Questioning Gender Stereotypes Under Socialism: Fatherly Emotions and the Case of Single Fathers 213 1 Hegemonic Masculinities? Society and Ideology Under State Socialism 214 2 Fatherly Emotions and the Media 216 3 Single Fatherhood Under Socialism 220 4 With You, Daddy 222 5 Single Fathers and the East German Haushaltstag 223 6 Conclusion 225 References 225 The East German Man: ``Brown Perpetrator of Violence, ́ ́ ``Sensitive Father ́ ́? An Exploration of Media Discourses and Scholarly... 230 1 Introduction: Polarizing Constructs of Masculinity in Public Discourse 230 2 The Formation of a Western Discursive Hegemony After the Political ``Wende ́ ́ 231 3 The Discursive Construction of the ``Brown East ́ ́ 233 3.1 The Gendering of the ``Brown East ́ ́ 234 3.2 The Concealment Function off the Discourse 235 3.3 Gaps in the Discourse 236 3.4 Interpellations of Masculinity in Right-Wing Discourses 237 4 Fatherhood in East Germany: A Discursive Gap 237 4.1 A Look Back: Fatherhood in the Gender Contract of the GDR 238 4.2 German-German Gender Relations after the Wende 239 4.3 The Practices of East and West German Fathers in Comparison 241 5 Discussion and Plea for a Pluralization of Discourses 243 References 245 Russian Fatherhood: From Distance to Participation 249 1 Introduction 249 2 The Concept of Social Recognition as a Theoretical Framework for the Reconstruction of Involved Fatherhood 250 3 The Conceptualization of Fatherhood as a Social Phenomenon and Field of Social Research 253 4 Fatherhood in Russia 254 5 Fatherhood Studies 258 6 The Search for Social Recognition of Paternity and the Issue of Fathers ́ Masculinity: Online Format 260 7 An Empirical Illustration of a Generational Change in Fathering Patterns 262 8 Description of the Results 263 8.1 First Generation: Grandfathers ́ Generation 266 8.2 Second Generation: Fathers ́ Generation 266 8.3 Third Generation (Male Respondents) 267 9 Conclusion 269 References 270 Front Matter ....Pages i-xiv Introduction (Katharina Bluhm, Gertrud Pickhan, Justyna Stypińska, Agnieszka Wierzcholska)....Pages 1-11 Front Matter ....Pages 13-13 The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend: The Curious Tale of Feminism and Capitalism in Eastern Europe (Kristen R. Ghodsee)....Pages 15-24 Blaming Feminists Is Not Understanding History: A Critical Rejoinder to Ghodsee’s Take on Feminism, Neoliberalism and Nationalism in Eastern Europe (Agnieszka Graff)....Pages 25-33 Feminist Stories from an Illiberal State: Revoking the License to Teach Gender Studies in Hungary at a University in Exile (CEU) (Andrea Pető)....Pages 35-44 Emancipation is More than the Freedom of Choice: Rethinking the Feminist Agenda in Postsocialism (Olga Sasunkevich)....Pages 45-59 Front Matter ....Pages 61-61 Ukraine’s Female Combatants: The Influence of Conflict on Gender Roles and Empowerment (Rebecca Barth)....Pages 63-82 Gender Roles in the Rear of the War in Donbas: Women’s Engagement in the Care of Wounded Combatants (Ioulia Shukan)....Pages 83-105 Russian Vicious Circles: The Facebook Flash Mob #яНеБоюсьСказать, Biopolitics, and Rape Culture (Elena Korowin)....Pages 107-121 The Ambivalence of the Ordinary: The Polish Women’s Strike (OSK) and the Women’s March 8th Alliance (PK8M) in a Comparative Perspective (Jennifer Ramme, Claudia Snochowska-Gonzalez)....Pages 123-142 Front Matter ....Pages 143-143 Putting Care at the Center: Women Organizing Trade Unions in the Care Sector in Poland (Julia Kubisa)....Pages 145-156 Questioning the Retraditionalization Thesis: Gender Differences in Paid and Unpaid Work in Bulgaria (1970–2010) (Gergana Nenova)....Pages 157-172 Autonomy as Empowerment, or How Gendered Power Manifests Itself in Contemporary Russian Families (Alya Guseva, Dilyara Ibragimova)....Pages 173-189 Front Matter ....Pages 191-191 Masculine Strategies in Russian Orthodoxy: From Asceticism to Militarization (Boris Knorre)....Pages 193-208 Questioning Gender Stereotypes Under Socialism: Fatherly Emotions and the Case of Single Fathers (Peter Hallama)....Pages 209-225 The East German Man: “Brown Perpetrator of Violence,” “Sensitive Father”? An Exploration of Media Discourses and Scholarly Studies (Sylka Scholz)....Pages 227-245 Russian Fatherhood: From Distance to Participation (Elena Rozhdestvenskaya)....Pages 247-269