Lesbian Lives in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia

Francesca Stella is Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK. She has held an ESRC postdoctoral research fellowship and worked as a lecturer at the University of Glasgow across the subject areas of Sociology and Russian Studies. Her publications include articles in Europe-Asia Studies and Slavic Review.

“The primary focus of the book is the ‘experiences, practices and identities of non‐heterosexual women in Soviet and post‐Soviet Russia’ … . Stella’s theoretical critique is far deeper and of relevance to debates in disciplines including Political Science, International Relations, and Anthropology. … For those already broadly familiar with the relevant theoretical debates, it will be a rewarding and thought-provoking read … .” (Cai Wilkinson, Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet, jspps.eu, Vo. 2 (1), June, 2016)“She demonstrates a thoroughgoing study of politicized and marginalized lesbian identities since a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union. … Stella’s work is a valuable contribution for scholars studying gender studies. It is a well-founded publication because she has conducted first hand interviews with lesbians and analyzed her findings methodologically.” (Vivian Sabrina Lee, Slovo, Vol. 28 (1), Winter, 2016)“This book is a highly readable ethnographic account of lesbian and bisexual women’s lives in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. It is a timely book which presents a valuable contribution to gender and sexuality studies, as well as to the literature on socialism and post-socialism. The empirical base of this monograph is the use of multiple research methods, such as participant observation and interviews, in two different fieldwork sites.” (Ulrike Ziemer, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 68 (6), 2016)“This book is the first text that focuses attention on queer sexuality within a peripheral location, and provides a new insight into the enigma of post-Soviet sexuality. … Lesbian Lives is an interesting read for academics working on sexualities in post- socialist spaces, and especially post- Soviet Russia. It also might provide some insights for scholars interested in queer geography.” (Veronika Lapina, QED A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking, Vol. 3 (3), 2016)“The empirical base of this book is ethnographic research focussing on the experiences, practices and identities of non-heterosexual women in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. … this work can be seen as one of the first representatives of a post-queer study of sexuality, incorporating ‘the criticism of queer theory while maintaining the grounded footing of empirical sociology’ … and a very invigorating one, indeed.” (Judit Takács, Intersections, Vol. 1, 2015)

• 1. Introduction: Locating Russian Sexualities 2. Same-Sex Sexualities and the Soviet/Post-Soviet Gender Orders 3. Lesbian Relationships in Late Soviet Russia 4. Family Matters: Negotiating 'Home' 5. The Global Closet? Negotiating Public Space 6. Carving Out Queer Space: In/Visibility, Belonging and Resistance 7. Conclusions: From Russian to (Post)Socialist Sexualities