Embracing Arms - Cultural Representation of Slavic and Balkan Women in War

350 Pages·2012·51.76 MB·English

by  Helena Goscilo

Table nf Ce-ntents
Preface and Aelsnnwledgnients . . .
lntrrneluetinn
I. ‘*I'F'IJHI.l'J WAR II
Friar and Taiasals-iaa
CHAPTER I
Invisible Deaths: Fe-lish Cinerna’s Representatien ef
‘Wamen in Warld ‘War II
Eiaineta Uszrasssfiza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHAPTER E
She Defends His Motherland: The M1.='th ni"MaLhet Russia
in Siwiet Ivlaternal Meltidrama ti-f the 1‘-Hfis
Hiexanaiei"Pr"iiFehrir:ia .
£1Ha1='1"1~:a 3
Flight withaut ‘Wings; The Suhieetiviqr af a Female War Veteran
in Larisa 5|1epit’1~:Er’5- Fl'*’1'rtgs [liififiil
Tatiana :"ir‘i'I'fEiFI-EIiI|iJi'JIiI and Maria Lipaaeniey . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
‘~.II1I Table af Caatems
'-:Hr‘i.PTER 4
Gcncicrtcci} Games: Re-rnancc, Slapstick, anti Ic1cc+1c|-g'§,' in the
Palish '['elet'isian Series Paar Tami: rfierr airs! a Dag
Eieria Prakharaea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IUT
Li'rerarare_, Gi"aphics, Sang
1'-::Hr5|.|"'1'1'iH '5
Rage in the City tif Hunger: Hardy, Tallt, and the Pulities uf
Wtimanliness in Liciia Gin.ehurg’s Narasfraiis the His_aa af i'.arti'rtg"rr1t1'
Iriaa Saiick-rar'rsitaja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , , , , , , , , , . . . . . . . . . . , , , , , , , I 'f:'-I
'|:I—Ir‘tF'TF.Ft 6
Graphic ‘-Wemandieed under Fire
Hefaita Gasrfia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
CHAPTER T
Bangs ef‘~I'£»'en1en"fiI»'arrie1s and Wemen ‘-I"-I»'h+;;1“»E*'aite:;1
RaE:ertr1'.RatIistaiir 1?‘;
H. RECENT ‘WARS
CHAPTER 5
“E-1ac1-t T=i*'ic1ews”: "~.?=i}"c+rnen as Palitical Ecirnhatants in the Chechen
-ijentlict
Trina R. flrfaraaair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EDT
I111-1.~t|='1'1~;a ‘El
‘\\i='ar Rape: {Ftejdefining Mutherhu-uci, Fatherhtiucl, and Hatiunhuud
Yam": Ha.ri1ari:ae.'a E33
CHAPTER H1
Duhravka Ugresic’s War Museum: Appraaching the “Paint af T’air|"’
_'}'essiea H?'ia:rhat'd—ErakisFt 253
List af Cantrihuters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Indca ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2T5
Preface and Acknowledgments
Enrerae:'ag flmts ezsamines the cultural representations of women in
war across geographical and generic houndaries. The chapters treat
Polish ancl Russian film and television, Russian graphics, literature,
song, and journalism, as well as Ealltan film and literature. Given the
hrcadth of the volume’s purview, we envision a readership of aca-
demics from various disciplines, ranging from Slavists ancl Elall-tanists
to historians, political scientists, and specialists in gender studies and
feminism.
Clur respective home institutions responded with alacriry ancl gen-
erosity to our appeal for financial sponsorship of the hi-partite confer-
ence titled llfaaeea in ll5"ar {2tltlT] at The Dhio State University [C-SUI]
and the University of Pittsburgh [Pitt], whieh served as the basis for
this volume. ‘fife are therefore most happy to espress our gratitude to
the following institutional entities for underwriting our enterprise:
At USU, the Center for Slavic and East European Studies
[CSEESL the Mershon Center for International Security Studies,
the Dfficc of International rsffairs, the Departments of Slavic and
East European Languages and Literatures [D'SEELL), Comparative
Studies, Film Studies, ‘~I'l»'o1ncn’s Studies, and Hear Eastern Languages
and Cultures, the Centers for Folltlore Studies and the Study of
Religions; Women in Development, and the College of Humanities.
At Pitt, the Dffice of aas Deans, which awarded us a suhstan—
tial FnS:S FRSP [Faculty Research and Scholarship Program} grant,
the Dffice of the Provost of Research, the European Union Center,
and programs in Cultural Studies, Film Studies, T'Z*'omen’s Studies;
R EMEIi'.F'fCIl"~lG E'fl?_l'~.-lS
the Center for Russian and East European Studies [CREES]; and the
Departrnent of Slavic Languages and Literatures.
Dur profound thanlts to all conference participants, including om‘
capahle, sometimes inspired, discussants. Ptndrew Chapman’s design
of the poster at Pitt and his invaluahle aid in the practical organization
of the conference made him the Hero of the Hour, and if I {HG} had
the appropriate medal to award him, I would pin it on his...chest.
Finally, for enahling the success of the conference on the Pitt
campus, HG wishes to acknowledge the largesse of George F-I_linaing—a
far-seeing and committed supporter of the Stalinka wehsite housed at
Pitt’s EIRL and Alberta Shragia, a source of sagacious counsel and
intellectual ener,gy.
Clur appreciation to all those involved for contrihuting to the intel-
lectual vitality and collegial pleasures of hoth conferences and the dia-
logues that followed.
Finally, we eatencl gratitude to Cl'SLl"s College of Arts and
Sciences and its Dean of Research, Sehastian I-inowles, for the grant
that defrayed the costs incurred in preparing the hoolt for puhlica—
tion; to Ftlea Trotter, professional extraordinaire, and to Virag llles,
an esemplar of editorial grace and efficiency at the Central European
University Press. For invaluable information regarding copyright,
HG is indehtecl to Ptleltsandt ‘lfislyi, current Director of the Russian
National Lihrary in Moscow.
Introduction
Heleaa Gascfla
"'CInly the dead have seen the end of war."
Plato‘
“'\.‘v'omen should not die this way. War is a man's affair."
Rasman, member ofRussian Di‘vlDl*~I troops in Chechnya“
“I say with Euripides that I would rather go through three
wars than through a single childbirth."
Soren I-iierltegaard, The Iltlaajy riyfa ,‘a'ea’aeer'i
‘War as Litmus Test of Masculinity
Regardless of stirring legends about the military prowess of Eoadicea,
Penthesilea, and other Ptmaaons, historically, war has been a quintessen-
tially male preserve."' For tnillennia, mcn*s capacity and readiness to ltill or
‘ I could not find this aaiom, attributed to Plato on a wall ofthe Imperial 'vl='a1'
Museum in London, as well as by George Santayana and General Douglas
l'v'lac.i'trthur_, in any of Plato’s dialogues.
‘IT-FI Quoted in Pc1'rci1'a-Marques {SUBS}.
s
Soren Iiierl-tegaard, Hie lJt'ar;v afa Sedacer [Ithaca, I‘sI‘ft': The Dragon Press,
I932}, 157'.
-t
Hotable dissenting voices that detect nothing redemptive in war have
included Aristophanes, "v'oltaire, Tolstoi, and Remarc|ue it1 literature, and
Stanley I‘-'-',ubriel~:, among an increasing number of directors, in film. ]-oscph