According to Professor Scotto, Russia has a culture on the periphery of Europe, and it would be more appropriate to consider it Euro-Asian, rather than European. The Ural mountains are strictly a geographical border between the European and the Asian parts of the country, for the cultures on both sides of the mountains are the same. Historical references:
Women in Muscovite Russia ( 14th-16th century): The focus of the lecture is on the women of the upper class, who had a life completely different from the one of the peasant women. During the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the first czar of Russia, and the last medieval ruler, the Russian society is a patriarchal one. There are many rules for women's behavior (the article about Yuliania Lazarevsky). Women are expected to be chaste, obedient, pious, and to take care of the servants and children. The elite women were confined to their houses and very limited public places ( i.e: church). In the house they had separate quarters from their husbands' (terems), and most of the time they didn't attend the social gatherings in their own houses. The medieval Russia was a country where clans have a major politicalpower. The fact that women could help alliances between clans gave them a certain power in the society. (Nancy Kollmann's article) The criticism is that even if they had power in the household, it was not legally recognized. An aspect quite unusual for those times is the severe punishment of rapes. Women's testimonies are believed until the accused can bring irrefutable proof against them. The harshness of the laws is explained by the fact that the rape is irreligious and it violates the honor of the clan that the women is part of (Eve Levin's article). After the Middle Ages: The medieval patriarchal structure isn't challenged until the reign of Peter the Great, who understands that he can't have a social life at the court unless the women are part of it. However, the rules of behavior for women are the same. It is not until the 19th century that Russia is faced with a feminist movement. At the end of the 19th century women are accepted inthe higher education. The Bolshevik revolution pays a lot of attention to women's rights. After Stalin comes to power, the promotion of women in the public life is slowed down. There is a feminist up rise in the late 1970's and 1980's, but it is different from the western feminism. Materials used - handouts:
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