Suchergebnisse

In developing a transnational approach to queer studies, the alleged binary between post-Soviet ―East‖ and the so-called ―West‖ has troubled and challenged this emerging discourse. Theorizing queerness within a post-Soviet framework requires what sociologist Francesca Stella refers to as ―alternative epistemologies‖ that foreground the question of visibility: how can queerness be understood in places that have historically and ideologically emphasized sexual invisibility? Considering this question alongside Michel Foucault's discussion of a discursive practice of sexuality as a product of modernity and capitalism, a more evocative issue emerges: how can sexuality be understood in spaces that have historically eschewed capitalist ideology? Moreover, how are sexual practices, including the structures of family and community, complicated in the wake of repressive political systems? As a response to these questions, this article explores literature's capacity to facilitate new dialogues for understanding queerness within a post-Soviet context. By building on the concepts of kinship and belonging, literature and participates in the development of alternative epistemologies for understanding queerness within post-Soviet spaces.