Muzhik and the Bear: The images of national masculinity on contemporary Russian souvenirs Cover Image

Мужик и медведь: образы национальной маскулинности на современных российских сувенирах
Muzhik and the Bear: The images of national masculinity on contemporary Russian souvenirs

Author(s): Oleg Vjacheslavovich Riabov, Tatjana Borisovna Riabova
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Post-Communist Transformation, Tourism, Identity of Collectives
Published by: Ивановский государственный университет
Keywords: the image of muzhik; national masculinity; Russia as a bear; souvenir; legitimation of power;

Summary/Abstract: Based on the materials of the souvenir production, the paper dwells upon the comparison of Russian men with bears that became popular in recent years. The first section of the paper examines how the image of bear turns into the national symbol of Russia, the second focuses on how this image is employed in representation of Russian masculinity. The authors conclude that using the image of Russia the bear contributes to legitimation of a certain gender order, besides, this image binds together gender, national, geopolitical, and power discourses, which legitimate each other by that.

  • Issue Year: 2022
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 20-31
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Russian