Radical Self-Representation in a Hostile Setting: Discursive Strategies of the Russian Lesbian Feminist Movement

Oxana R Mikhaylova,Galina V Gradoselskaya

doi:10.1177/2056305121989253

Abstract

Today, internet provides opportunities for solidarization and collective action to initiative groups of social movements, including those of high degree of radicalism. For radical groups, language continues to be a crucial instrument through which social movements influence public attitudes. In this article, we analyze discursive strategies that the radical social movement (RSM) of Russian lesbian feminism uses to shape its image among the out-group and in-group publics. To identify the strategies of RSM self-representation, we employ semi-structured interviewing, qualitative content analysis, discourse analysis, and semantic network visualization. We find that, in a hostile anti-LGBT legal and discursive environment, self-representation of lesbian feminists is mostly linked to issues of aggression, violence, and systemic social, political, and legal constraints, unlike in the United States; it is also based on separation from the wider society and dehumanization of bearers of patriarchal views.

Highlights

Radicalization of individuals and social groups in contemporary societies (Dingley & Herman, 2017) creates a need for developing means of identification and analysis of their discourses
The essence of radicalized discourses of disadvantaged groups in non-democratic context remains heavily understudied, unlike that in established democracies; our article aims at partially covering this gap, with the Russian lesbian feminist discourse taken as a case
The goal of this study is to examine the discursive strategies that are used in the Russian lesbian feminist movement’s self-representation

Summary

Introduction

Radicalization of individuals and social groups in contemporary societies (Dingley & Herman, 2017) creates a need for developing means of identification and analysis of their discourses. This may be especially true for the societies with no long democratic tradition, where deliberative spaces are not occupied by strong mainstream actors of moderate political stance. In such circumstances, radicalized discourses play a double role (Litvinenko et al, 2021). The essence of radicalized discourses of disadvantaged groups in non-democratic context remains heavily understudied, unlike that in established democracies; our article aims at partially covering this gap, with the Russian lesbian feminist discourse taken as a case

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Conclusion