Women’s experience in Estonian punk scenes during the transition from Soviet to post-Soviet society

Abstract

The article examines women’s experiences in the punk scenes of Tallinn (Estonia) during the late Soviet (1970s–80s) and the initial post-Soviet period (1990s–2000s). The author is interested in how women perceived their identity inside those scenes and in relation to mainstream culture, as well as in the role of Tallinn’s urban space in scene creation. The article places a particular emphasis on examining the consistency in women’s experience of those scenes in the context of a society that witnessed the crumbling of Soviet rule. Theoretical background for the article is provided by subculture and gender studies. The material for analysis is drawn primarily from in-depth interviews with members of the subcultures concerned but also includes data from participatory observation and personal experience. In interpreting the data, the author has combined qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis (including context analysis).