RUSS 38.18 Taboo Russia: Sex, Body, and Politics

Sex and nonnormative sexuality have always been taboo-weapons in Russia in fight against cultural and political opponents, reinforcing the ‘us-them’ dichotomy (Russia-West; underground-official; regime-opposition). This course outlines the development of cultural and sociopolitical taboos in Russia through different historical periods and examines how the (un)official discourses about sex and the body changed or persisted over time: from bawdy folklore to Pushkin; from fin-de-siecle libertinage to Soviet anti-sexuality; from late/post-Soviet hypersexuality to taboos in Putin’s Russia.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:SOC; WCult:CI

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