CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE SPECIAL ISSUE OF ‘SEXUALITY AND CULTURE’ JOURNAL

ABSTRACTS DUE: APRIL 10, 2019

We look for 1-2 papers for the special issue with the thematic focus Postsocialist Revolutions of Intimacy: Sexuality, Rights and Backlash. These should be original articles that were not published before in any language. All the articles will be submitted to peer-review by the external reviewers. However, the final decision about accepting or rejecting the article will be taken by the publishers of the “Sexuality & Culture”.

FULL PAPER DUE: MAY 15, 2019FINAL PAPER SUBMISSION DUE (AFTER PEER REVIEW/REVISION): AUGUST 15 2019
Aim and relevance: the proposed special issue combines historical perspective with the contemporary analysis to explore challenges and outcomes of post-socialist “sexual revolutions” across the Central and Eastern Europe. It addresses the changes in norms and practices of intimacy in several postsocialist countries questioning the causes of the current political developments and their implications for the region. As this collection of articles tackles existing tensions between processes of democratization in the sphere of sexuality and rights on the one hand and growing resistance, in particular, so-called anti-gender movements in postsocialist societies, we believe it fits nicely to the scope of “Post-Soviet Affairs”. 
The common theme of the volume: the volume is dedicated to the analysis of changes with respect to intimacies and sexualities after the break-up of the Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc. It explores the idea of the “sexual revolution” in connection to the events of the 1990s. Indeed, the political space was fast transformed from the space where “there was no sex” into a space obsessed with sexual symbols and discussions on sexual identities. The popular culture representations of sex and desire became a part of the mediatized everyday, talk-shows openly discussed hetero and homosexual stories, commercial sex was openly advertised and NGOs defending sexual minority rights became publicly visible.

However, during the last years the calls to “strengthen morality” and repressive legislations against LGBTQ rights and abortion in many countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia have challenged the results of the “sexual revolutions” of the 1990s. From the mid-2000s Russia, but also some other countries of the region, first of all, Poland, experienced mass campaigns for return to “traditional family” and gender roles that in some cases were followed by the discriminatory laws. Probably, the most infamous is the law against “propaganda of homosexuality” adopted by Russia in 2013, this law is a serious attack against LGBTQ people in Russia. At the same time this law also can be seen as a part of the broader campaign on strengthening “traditional values” in Russia as well as was used for attacks against civil society organizations and as a weapon in Putin’s campaign against “the West”. Why was it so easy to move the public opinion “back”? How was it connected to the social and political actors behind the changes?
Finally, the years after the end of communism was the period when the gender equality ideas were broadly addressed by the transnational women’s organizations; many of these organizations worked for dissemination of these ideas in the former countries of state socialism. However, it was the MeToo campaign that started in 2017 in US that showed that problems of sexual violence continue to be actual and need attention; the campaign showed importance discussing the gender equality issues in connection to harassment and sexual violence again.
Article length should be no more than 8 000 words. 
Issue editors:Yuliya Gradskova, Sodertörn universityAlexander Kondakov, University of HelsinkiMaryna Shevtsova, University of Florida

Please, submit your expression of interest to all three e-mails: yulia.gradskova@sh.se, alexander.kondakov@helsinki.fi, shevtsova.maryna@gmail.com