CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Ivanova, Alexandra |
|---|---|
| Title | Motherhood and the Nation: Gendered Memory and Civic Duty in Contemporary Russia (2014- 2021) |
| Summary | This thesis explores how the Russian state constructs a gendered vision of national identity by mobilising motherhood as a site of ideological and moral reproduction. Situated within a broader context of Russia’s post-Soviet transformation, with particular attention to developments after 2014, it examines how the state discourse draws on historical memory, civilisational narratives, traditional values, and affective rhetoric to position women, especially mothers, as symbolic bearers of the nation. Drawing on feminist theory, cultural memory studies, and the literature on illiberalism, the study employs discourse analysis to examine legal frameworks, public speeches, and civic discourses. It argues that while state narratives idealise mothers as biological and cultural reproducers, these representations often contradict policy realities and exclude women who do not conform to heteronormative and patriarchal ideals. At the same time, feminist actors and civil society initiatives contest these constructions, revealing the fragility and contradictions at the heart of the state’s ideological project. By foregrounding the intersections of gender, memory, and power, this thesis contributes to debates on nationalism, illiberal governance, and feminist critiques of state-building in authoritarian contexts. Keywords: Gender and nationalism, illiberalism, motherhood, Russian state discourse, cultural memory |
| Supervisor | Jones-Gailani, Nadia |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/ivanova_sasha.pdf |
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