CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2014
| Author | Rachok, Dariia |
|---|---|
| Title | Imagining The Ukrainian Body: Everyday Nationalism and Body Politics In Contemporary Ukraine |
| Summary | This thesis examines the place of gendered and sexualized bodies in the discourse of everyday Ukrainian nationalism: what bodies are thought of as im/proper and why. I argue that due to Ukraine's distinctive position at the crossroads between “Western Europe” and Russia, its national identity is being shaped with regard to the gazes of several Others: its post-Soviet past, complex relationship with “the West” and Russia, and its newly built national narrative. My analysis of the narratives of 22 respondents shows that even though young people do not identify as nationalists, they internalize and reproduce nationalistic ideas when speaking about the issues of health, sport, beauty, and sexuality. I illustrate that in their narratives, my respondents unsuccessfully attempt to reconcile sexist, heteronormative, homophobic and xenophobic utterances with the ideas of inclusiveness and tolerance. I conclude that national belonging is carved upon people’s bodies, that everyday bodily practices my respondents engage into are simultaneously kindled by and constitutive to Ukrainian nationalism. I claim that the nation is reproduced daily not only by using coins or flags, but by performing internalized, mechanical and not reflected upon bodily practices. |
| Supervisor | Renkin, Hadley Z. |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2014/rachok_dariia.pdf |
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