Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia

Important new findings on sex and gender in the former Soviet Bloc! Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia is a groundbreaking look at the new sexual reality in Central, Eastern, and Southeast Europe after the fall of communism. The book presents the kind of candid discussion of sexual identities, sexual politics, and gender arrangements that was often censored and rarely discussed openly before the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1987. Authors from a variety of disciplines examine how the changes caused by rapid economic and social transformation have affected human sexuality and if those changes can generate the social tolerance necessary to produce a well-rooted democracy. The first theoretical and empirical body of work to sexuality in (post)transitional countries, Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia examines the effects of the profound social transformation taking place in the former Soviet Union. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, the book addresses vital issues of this transformation, including gender relations, gender roles and sex norms in transition, sexual representations in the media, patterns of adult sexual behavior, gay and lesbian issues, sex trafficking, health risks, and sex education. The book also presents a critical examination of whether the fall of communism has, in fact, induced changes in sexuality and gender relations. Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia examines the changes in sex and gender in countries in transition, including: the negative consequences of Serbias “state-directed non-development” during the 1990s the causes and consequences of trafficking in women from the Russian Federation the ongoing debate over human rights for sexual minorities in Romania the effects of two Yugoslavian films released in the 1990s that feature transgender characters sexualities in transition in Croatia problems created by changes in sexual behavior among urban Russian adolescents the social and legal state of lesbians in Slovenia Sexuality and Gender in Postcommunist Eastern Europe and Russia fills in the gap in the current knowledge and understanding of the effects of the profound social changes taking place in Central, Eastern, and Southeast Europe. The book is an essential read for academics and researchers working in gender studies, political science, and gay and lesbian studies. Handy tables and figures make the information easy to access and understand.

About the Editors Contributors Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction. Sexuality and Gender in Times of Transition (Aleksandar Štulhofer and Theo Sandfort) Changing the Gender Order Changing Social Regulation of Sexuality Sexualities in Postcommunism The Contributions PART I: POSTCOMMUNIST CONSTRUCTIONS OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY Chapter 1. Gender Inequalities in the Nationalist, Nontransitional Context of Serbia, Emphasizing Vojvodina, During the 1990s (Tatjana Ðuric-Kuzmanovic) Introduction A Gendered Approach to Theories of Development and Transition General Economic and Social Conditions in Serbia During the 1990s Gender Oppression in Serbia: From Socialism to State-Directed Nondevelopment Current Developments and Future Trends in the Labor Market for Women During Transition in Serbia, Emphasizing Vojvodina Summary: Toward Affirmative Action Chapter 2. Hierarchies of Difference: National Identity, Gay and Lesbian Rights, and the Church in Postcommunist Romania (Voichita Nachescu) Gender and Romanian Communism Brief History The Actors of the Debate The Debate Conclusion Chapter 3. From Sworn Virgins to Transvestite Prostitutes: Performing Gender and Sexuality in Two Films from Yugoslavia (Kevin Moss) Chapter 4. The Spatiality of Identities and Sexualities: Is “Transition” a Challenging Point at All? (Biljana Kašic) Introductory Notes: Facing the Question Facing the Approach and Problem That Sexuality Matters Facing Transition and War(s): Stereotypes, Trends, and Media Signifiers of Sexualities Facing Female Sexuality Within the Pornography of War(s) Instead of a Conclusion: Facing Obstacles, Gaps, and Potentials Within/Crossing “Transition” PART II. SEXUAL POLITICS AND SEXUAL IDENTITIES Chapter 5. Sexual Culture and Politics in Contemporary Russia (Igor S. Kon) Post-Soviet Sexuality Attitudes Toward Sex Education The Antisexual Crusade Chapter 6. Serbian Sexual Response: Gender and Sexuality in Serbia During the 1990s (Tea Nikolic) Excitement (The Awakening of the Nation) Plateau (Turbo Folk) Orgasm (Pornography) Resolution Chapter 7. The Sexual Status of Lesbian Women in Slovenia in the 1990s (Tatjana Greif) Introduction Historical Background The Lesbian Movement in Slovenia The Current Legal Situation Concerning Lesbian Women Lesbians Within Education, the Health System, and the Military The Social Situation Concerning Lesbian Women Conclusion Chapter 8. Sexualities in Belarus: Some Major Patterns of Sexual Behavior and Their Cultural Background (Alexei Lalo and Nikolai Schitov) Introduction Gender Roles and Images Sexualities and “Witch Hunts” Post-Soviet Sexual Discourses and Western Influences Issues of Domestic Violence: The Controversial Role of Physicians Sex-Related Prejudice and Sex Crimes: The Orthodox Church and Homophobia Conclusion Chapter 9. The New Visibility: Representing Sexual Minorities in the Popular Culture of Post-Soviet Russia (Brian James Baer) PART III. THE RISE OF SEX MARKETS Chapter 10. Supplying Women for the Sex Industry: Trafficking from the Russian Federation (Donna Hughes) Introduction Collapse and Criminalization of the State and Economy Economic Inequality for Women Regional Variation in Unemployment Traffickers Recruiting Women for Work Abroad Public and Private Violence