Mapping Difference: The Many Faces of Women in Contemporary Ukraine

by Marian J. Rubchak (Editor)

Overview

Drawn from various disciplines and a broad spectrum of research interests, these essays reflect on the challenging issues confronting women in Ukraine today. The contributors are an interdisciplinary, transnational group of scholars from gender studies, feminist theory, history, anthropology, sociology, women’s studies, and literature. Among the issues they address are: the impact of migration, education, early socialization of gender roles, the role of the media in perpetuating and shaping negative stereotypes, the gendered nature of language, women and the media, literature by women, and local appropriation of gender and feminist theory. Each author offers a fresh and unique perspective on the current process of survival strategies and postcommunist identity reconstruction among Ukrainian women in their current climate of patriarchalism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782386735
Publisher:	Berghahn Books
Publication date:	08/01/2014
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Marian J. Rubchak is a Senior Research Professor of History at Valparaiso Universitywhose work focuses on reimagining Slavic identities in various contexts. She has written on the role of myth in shaping the identity of contemporary Ukrainian women, and the difficulties that they face in exerting agency in a transitional society with prejudices against women.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Tables

Foreword
Catherine Wanner

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1. Turning Oppression into Opportunity. An Introduction
Marian J Rubchak

Chapter 2. Between “Europe’ and “Africa”: Building the New Ukraine on the Shoulders of Migrant Women
Cinzia Solari

Chapter 3. Women as Migrants on the Margins of the European Union
Alexandra Hrycak

Chapter 4. Prove it to me: The Life of a Jewish Social Activist in Ukraine
Sarah D. Phillips

Chapter 5. Biography as Political Geography: Patriotism in Ukranian Women’s Life Stories
Oksana Kis’

Chapter 6. Chronicle of Children’s Holidays: Construction of Gender Stereotypes in Ukrainian Preschools and Elementary Education
Victoria Haydenko

Chapter 7. Gender, Language Attitudes, and Language Status in Ukraine
Laada Bilaniuk

Chapter 8. Feminizing Journalism in Ukraine: Changing the Paradigm
Mariia Tytarenko

Chapter 9. Nationalism and Women’s Literary Discourse in Post-Soviet Ukraine
Maria Rewakowicz

Chapter 10. Feminist (de)Construction of Nationalism in the Post Soviet Space
Tatiana Zhurzhenko

Chapter 11. Three Conversations:
Liudmyla Taran

I: Gender Education - a Step Toward Democracy
with Larysa Kobelianska

II: Gender Research in Sociology: The current situation
with Svitlana Oksamytna

III: From the Philosophy of a Name to the Philosophy of Life
with Yulia Tymoshenko

Notes on contributors
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Notably the authors resist the temptation to proclaim varied strategies proof of an actually existing feminism, offering instead a multi-voiced and rich narrative of the transformation of women’s position in post-Soviet Ukraine.”  ·  Social Analysis

“With [this volume] Marian J. Rubchak has begun filling a long-standing void in the post-Soviet gender literature with a diverse collection dedicated solely to the understanding of women’s positions in Ukraine. Rubchak was one of the earliest Western observers of women’s issues in Ukraine and…among the first to gauge its feminist potential. Her edited volume also recognizes the significance of the sustained transnational and cross-cultural conversations between women scholars and activists that have ensued…[It] succeeds in discerning a feminist concern that stems from the contradictions inherent in women’s efforts to support Ukrainian nation building while simultaneously striving to promote women’s true equality.”  ·  Journal of Ukrainian Studies

“What makes the volume stand out is its rich offer of original empirical material and first-hand accounts. The fact that the authors are women with different cultural and academic heritage makes the volume an exciting example of ‘East-West’ dialogue on the meaning of gender and womanhood…this volume has a lot to offer to all those studying contemporary Ukraine from different disciplinary angles.”  ·  Slavonica

“…[A]n impressive and multifaceted assessment of the monumental changes that have occurred for women in Ukraine since independence from the Soviet Union. The articles are all of considerable interest and topical, and mesh well together as a unified whole into a comprehensive and fine collection.”  ·  Michael M. Naydan, The Pennsylvania State University

"A bold attempt to engage gender studies in constructing a narrative about modern Ukraine. . . . This is Ukraine as it has never been seen before."  ·  Ewa M. Thompson, Rice University

“…a unique and unprecedented effort to bring together the views of Ukrainian and North American scholars on issues relating to gender and gender politics in Ukraine today.”  ·  from the Foreword

From the Publisher