CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2011
| Author | Knopova, Yana |
|---|---|
| Title | THE SOVIET UNION AND THE INTERNATIONAL DOMAIN OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND STRUGGLES: A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND A CASE STUDY OF THE SOVIET WOMEN???S COMMITTEE (1941-1991) |
| Summary | This research is inspired by the work of Third World feminist Chandra Talpede Mohanty and influenced by the work of Central European academic Francisca de Haan. It suggests a revision of the imaginative mapping of international women’s history. The research addresses the question, ‘What role was played by the Soviet Union (SU) within the international domain of women’s rights and struggles, and how can this role be conceptualized?’ The subsequent research question is, ‘What were the specific ways and mechanisms of the SU’s direct engagement as this was carried out by the Soviet Women’s Committee (1941-1991).’ I suggest that the role of the SU in the history of the international domain of women’s rights and struggles can be conceptualized as consisting of motivational and active dimensions. The active dimension, in turn, consisted of direct and indirect engagements. I use the concept of engagement to encompass the idea that regardless of the exact motivations of the socialist super power, its actions had the potential of real, although not necessary always positive, impact within the history of the international domain of women’s rights and struggles. In order to answer the main research question, I focus on the direct active engagement of the SU and discuss in depth the mechanisms employed by the SU and its actor, the Soviet Women’s Committee. My research aims to contribute to the critical insights of the Chinese-American scholar Wang Zheng and the Romanian scholar Raluca Maria Popa, supporting their argument that we need a significantly more complex approach to the history of socialist state-supported women’s organizations. My research is based on primary archival materials found in both traditional and online archives. My secondary sources include materials issued by Soviet sources, such as the journal Soviet Woman, as well as various other brochures and books. I also base my research on three interviews, most importantly with Samira Khoury, a life long leader of Tandi, a women’s organization that was closely related to the SWC and which still operates in Israel, along with a few additional short interviews with women who were familiar with the work of the Soviet Women’s Committee. |
| Supervisor | Francisca de Haan |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2011/knopova_yana.pdf |
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