Veronika Shapovalova Sisters, Moms, Broads: the Theme of Violence in Women’s Memoirs of the Gulag
In this article, 1 explore how women describe violence and aggression in the gulag. Women were inseparable part of the gulag. The Soviet apparatus of repression never targeted women specifically. Rather women were among the enemies of the state, common criminals, and class enemies. In 1937, a new category of criminal status was formulated by the Soviet state: the wives of traitors to the Motherland were to be repressed — that is, interned in camps for terms of between five and eight years. Hereafter, the formula “wife of a traitor to the Motherland” was applied regardless of a woman’s social position or occupation. This formula testified to the real stale of affairs in the country that had officially declared the equality and independence of women. In this sense, the Soviet state continued to define women as appendages to their husbands. Gulag was a reflection of the Soviet state as a whole. Men and women were declared equal in “the big zone” and in “the small zone.” In the gulag, men and women were equally exposed to physical and moral violence. However, women were subjected to specific gender related violence, to tortures meant especially for women. Menstruation, pregnancy, abortion, motherhood were used against women not only to make them compliant with the prison/camp administration, but also for personal entertainment of other prisoners. The crimes against women have never been exposed and brought to trial.
Igor Kon
Corporal punishment of boys and girls in contemporary Russia: everyday practices and public opinion
The article explores public opinion on corporal punishment of children in the 20th century Russia. Based on the extensive sociological research, personal documents and literary works, the author analyzes forms, methods and theories of punishment and discipline applicable to children and gives a comprehensive account of how and why corporal punishment has been tolerated and sometimes welcomed by the public opinion in the context of moral panics, social clashes and values reassessment. Corporal punishment of children, being supported by religious discourses, also involves other fundamental problems of present day Russian society such as spread of violent cultures, social inequality and tensions, xenophobia, usage of violence as a means for conflict resolution. By supporting spanking of children public opinion reveals deep anxieties about loosing traditional values and fear of instability Russia is facing these days.