This research conducted at the University of Tampere provides a novel perspective on the challenges and potential of feminist cultural politics in (semi-)authoritarian states. Focusing on Russia, this approach combines the Socialist legacy of egalitarianism with contemporary infiltrations of neo-liberal celebrity culture and globally mediated feminisms producing unique feminist positions in popular imagination. What does ‘feminism' as mediated practice and discourse mean in Russia and how do Russian audiences make sense of and relate to these mediated feminisms? The multiple sets of data (media material and focus group interviews in three research sites) are analysed with the help of methods stemming from media, and cultural studies, and sociology. The project will generate an inclusive typology of mediated feminist positionality ranging from prominent female figures to online grassroots influencers that will be informative to academic research, policy-makers and societal actors.

2021

2025