Gay Life in the Former USSR: Fraternity Without Community

by Schluter,Daniel

• ISBN13: 9780415932332
• ISBN10: 0415932335
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-01-25
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This work describes and analyzes the individual identities, social-ecological "landscape", and group undertakings among the homosexual population of the Soviet Union during the final years of the communist regime. It includes detailed descriptions of the conditions of life and reveals substantial social orgnaization regarding personal considerations, the social environment and their legal0political status in society.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
A Note On Translation, Transliteration, Typography, and the Use of Russian	ix
Introduction Fraternity Versus Community in the Soviet Gay World	3	(1)
Seeking an Understanding of Soviet Gay Life	3	(2)
Concepts, Goals, and Direction of the Analysis	5	(2)
Content and Organization of the Book	7	(4)
Constructing Social Institutions for a Soviet Gay Theory	11	(28)
Definition and Delineation of Community	13	(15)
Sexuality and Community Institutions	28	(4)
Institutions, Community, and the State in the USSR	32	(7)
Employing Social Research Methods for a Soviet Gay Studies	39	(30)
Participant Observation	40	(1)
Unstructured Interviews	40	(1)
Survey Research & Data Analyses	41	(28)
The Individual-Level Institutions of Soviet Gay Identity	69	(18)
Defining Identity and Identification	70	(5)
The Extent and Types of Identification	75	(4)
The Development of Homosexual Identities	79	(8)
Ecological-Level Institutions as Soviet Gay Places	87	(30)
Public Places Appropriated for Gay Purposes	89	(12)
Semi-Private and Partly-public Places Subverted for Gay Uses	101	(7)
Private Places Fashioned to Accommodate Gay Needs	108	(3)
Gay Places in the Soviet Gay World	111	(6)
Group-Level Institutions and Soviet Gay Politics	117	(20)
Legal Restrictions on Homosexual Activity (``Sodomy'')	117	(7)
Societal Attitudes Toward Homosexuality	124	(2)
The Prospects for Gay Political Activism in the USSR	126	(3)
Gay and Lesbian Organizations in the Soviet Union	129	(8)
Conclusion Fraternity Without Community in the Soviet Gay World	137	(12)
Distinguishing Fraternal Institutions From Communal Ones	139	(2)
Secret Individual-Level Interaction Allows for Soviet Gay Fraternity	141	(1)
Thwarting Group-Level Interaction Prevents Soviet Gay Community	142	(4)
Constricted Development and the Lack of Soviet Gay Community	146	(1)
Directions for Future Research	147	(2)
Afterword On the Development of Fraternity and Community in the Former Soviet Union	149	(52)
Some Ecological-Level Institutions Improve, Others Change Form	151	(9)
Group-Level Institutions of Community Generally Fail to Thrive	160	(10)
Individual-Level Institutions of Fraternity Still Central to Gay Life	170	(7)
References
English-Language Sources	177	(20)
Russian-Language Sources	197	(4)
Index	201