Rebellious Parents: Parental Movements in Central-Eastern Europe and Russia by F�bi�n Katalin (review)

Abstract

SEER, 98, 3, JULY 2020 594 Fábián, Katalin and Korolczuk, Elżbieta (eds). Rebellious Parents: Parental Movements in Central-Eastern Europe and Russia. Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis, IN, 2017. x + 364 pp. Illustrations. Notes. Works cited. Index. £40.00 (paperback). Notwithstanding the constantly evolving dynamics of social activism around the globe and scholarly interest captured by social movements, certain regions still have a tendency to be overlooked and misrepresented. This ‘scholarly negligence’ is particularly significant in the studies of Russian and Central-Eastern European regions since they remain stigmatized as having dormant and monolithic societies. The volume, Rebellious Parents: Parental Movements in Central-Eastern Europe and Russia, presents us with a welcome departure from the stigmatizing approach to studying these former Eastern Bloc societies. It is edited by Katalin Fábián, whose research is concerned with the intersection of gender and globalization as they influence various policy processes of emerging democracies, and Elżbieta Korolczuk, a researcher of civil society, social movements and gender studies. The book consists of twelve chapters where a number of scholars, through their analysis of various aspects of parental activism, not only challenge the still prevalent prejudices but also provide us with a structured contribution (both theoretical and empirical) to the relatively underexplored field of scholarly venture. Among other relevant topics, the volume sheds light on the particularities and dynamics of fathers’ movements, new reproductive technologies, natural childbirth movements, resistance against mandatory vaccinations, and advocacy for children with intellectual disabilities in the Russian and Central-Eastern European context. The introduction is followed by Tova Höjdestrand’s ‘Nationalism and Civicness in Russia: Grassroots Mobilization in Defence of “Family Values”’, which provides us with a thorough discussion of conservative grassroots mobilization through an in-depth exploration of the concepts of ‘civil society’ and ‘civic activism’ as they relate to the contemporary sociopolitical context of Russia. Höjdestrand’s essay stands in contrast to Olena Strelnyk’s ‘Conservative Parents’ Mobilization in Ukraine’ which follows. Even though parent activists in both countries share worries about ‘lurking threats’ of homosexuality (which is quite often perceived as metonymous with paedophilia), sexual education in schools and the ‘Western import’ gender, they also have differences concerning their agendas and tactics to achieve them. Ukrainian activists, unlike their Russian counterparts who tend to signal their distancing from ‘dirty party politics’, have a history of cooperation with the state as well as transnational institutions. Perhaps the most significant of these was the campaign against European Union accession. In ‘Constructing Parenthood and Nation in Bulgaria through New Reproductive Technologies’, Ina Dimitrova explores REVIEWS 595 the notion of ‘reactionary techno-progressivism’, which is used as the agendaachieving strategy by individuals seeking assistance from reproductive technologies in Bulgaria. The author concludes that ‘this health movement invokes culturally reasonable frames, which greatly enhances its efforts to gain public support-being symbolic as well financial’ (p. 107). ‘In the Name of the Family and the Nation: Framing Father’s Activism in Contemporary Poland’, by Elżbieta Korolczuk and Renata E. Hryciuk, provides a thorough study of Polish father movements, including groups like ‘Centre for Father and Children’s Rights’ (Centrum Praw Ojca i Dziecka), ‘Brave Dad’ (Dzielny tata), as well as ‘Cyril and Methodius Foundation’ (Fundacja Cyryla i Metodego). The essay emphasizes three major frames employed by the father activists: ‘misogynist’, ‘gender equality’ and ‘state violence’. On the other hand, Steven Saxonberg’s ‘Down and Out in a “Femo-Fascist” State: The Czech Father’s Discussion Forum’, discusses the notion of marginalized masculinity in the context of divorced father activists in the Czech Republic. According to Saxonberg, divorce has a tendency to generate a sense of lost status, which pushes fathers to turn to marginalized masculinity. This provides men with a safe haven, which allows them to act beyond the framework of hegemonic masculinity, i.e., in a highly emotional and aggressive manner. The behaviours assigned to marginalized masculinity stand in stark contrast to hegemonic masculinity, which is considered to be a context-dependent concept, and in the Czech case is seen as less ‘macho’ or emotional and rather milder or more reserved than the typical version of ‘extroverted’ hegemonic masculinity found in Western...