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Laundry, Potatoes, and the Everlasting Soul: Russian Advice Literature for Girls after Communism
Author(s) -
LANOUX ANDREA
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the russian review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.136
H-Index - 24
eISSN - 1467-9434
pISSN - 0036-0341
DOI - 10.1111/russ.10738
Subject(s) - etiquette , mores , encyclopedia , communism , state (computer science) , advice (programming) , soul , sociology , law , social science , political science , politics , philosophy , theology , computer science , programming language , algorithm
This article examines the explosion of advice literature for Russian girls since 1991, including literally hundreds of books have appeared on the market with such titles as Encyclopedia for Girls and Girls , A Book for You . Such titles are often given as gifts by parents and family members to help girls navigate the various social situations, household duties, dating rituals, consumer choices, and dangers facing girls in post‐Soviet Russia. Written in the long‐standing tradition of etiquette literature dating back to the eighteenth century, these fascinating documents of social mores reflect how the rise of consumer culture and collapse of the Soviet state have shaped a culture of hyperfeminity and gender difference in reaction to Soviet‐era policies promoting gender equality.