Coloniality of Gender and Knowledge: Rethinking Russian Masculinities in Light of Postcolonial and Decolonial Critiques

Yusupova, Marina

Abstract

This article explores how the legacy of European colonialism and its role in transforming gender relations globally, shapes post-Soviet Russian masculinities. It points to historical connections between European and Russian/Soviet colonial projects, both of which relied on the notion of ‘progress’ in gender relations. Drawing on analysis of biographical interviews with a diverse sample of Russian men interviewed in Russia and the UK, this work identifies how the research participants use the core modern/colonial narratives to establish their individual masculinities. Shifting from a common conceptualisation of Russian masculinities as ‘traditional’, ‘conservative’ and ‘macho’, I show that they are instead, closely bound up with the European project of modernity/coloniality. The study advances the analysis of postcolonial masculinities and posits an agenda for decolonisation of sociological research on global masculinities.

Citation

Yusupova, M. (2023). Coloniality of Gender and Knowledge: Rethinking Russian Masculinities in Light of Postcolonial and Decolonial Critiques. Sociology, 57(3), 682-699. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385221110724

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 14, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jul 14, 2022
• Publication Date: 2023-06
• Deposit Date: Jan 2, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 4, 2023
• Journal: Sociology
• Print ISSN: 0038-0385
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-8684
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 57
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 682-699
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385221110724
• Keywords: coloniality of gender, coloniality of knowledge, eurocentrism, masculinity, modernity, Russia
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2994468