Russian ‘De/Fault’ Feminism, or the Phenomenon of Post-Soviet Post-Feminism

Abstract

Russian feminism remains undertheorised and overlooked by international scholarship, partially reflecting the (post-)colonial hierarchies of knowledge production. This article introduces the notion of post-Soviet post-feminism (PSPF), highlighting its dimensions and unpicking points of tension and ambivalence. By employing a distinct socio-cultural approach, including Lotman’s model of inter-cultural dialogue, the article reflects on the uniqueness of the Soviet emancipatory project and the complexity of Russian contemporary feminism(s). Engaging longitudinal media data, the study exposes PSPF’s overarching manifestation unified by a partial ‘discursive erasure’ of the Soviet past and (un)productive and, at times, simplistic applications of Western approaches.