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5. Chechnya. "Black Widows" in the New York Times: Images of Chechen Women Rebels
- University of Texas Press
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5 “blaCk WidoWs” in the New York Times Images of Chechen Women Rebels sar a s t ruC kMan The Chechen struggle for independence from the Russian Federation has resulted in a seemingly new brand of terrorist: the “black widow.” This term, coined by the news media, is used to describe Chechen women who carry out suicide bombings and other violent acts to avenge lost husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers. Several sources claim that the Russian media developed the term to sensationalize female suicide bombings.1 Unlike other terrorist or separatist movements, including the Palestinian struggle in the West Bank, women make up a majority of suicide bombers in the Chechen struggle. Since 2000 Chechen women have carried out over 65 percent of the twenty-three suicide attacks charged to the Chechen movement.2 The American media have to some extent adopted the “black widow” label in an attempt to explain Chechen women’s violent involvement. This chapter examines how the New York Times attempted to challenge this facile explanation in its coverage of Russia and Chechnya between 1994 and 2004, when most of the violence between the two countries occurred and was reported in the U.S. media. However, because the Times questioned the black widow explanation, it was forced to offer other culturally suitable reasons to account for women’s motivation in carrying out suicide bombings or other violent attacks. In doing so, it simultaneously broke away from and remained faithful to the media’s role as a “circuit of culture,”3 skillfully disseminating acceptable feminine—especially acceptable Western feminine—gender roles.4 A critical analysis of how it accomplished this feat demonstrates the ways in which violent women fit into the media’s representation of women— especially non-Western Muslim women. C he Chn ya 93 “blaCk WidoWs” in the New York Times CheChnya’s CheCkered history Chechnya is a small republic with geographic borders that embrace the Caucus Mountains near the Caspian Sea on the southeastern limits of the Russian Federation. A majority of Chechnya’s population is Muslim, although they are often described as practicing moderate rather than fundamentalist Islam. The relationship between Chechnya and the larger Soviet and Russian republics has long been strained due to religious and cultural differences. Joseph Stalin forced the deportation of over 400,000 Chechens from their homeland after World War II, claiming that they had conspired with the Nazis. The exiled population was permitted to return to the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Republic in 1953 after Stalin’s death.5 Following the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991,Chechnya declared independence from the new Russian Federation and attempted to build a democratic state and society.6 In December 1994 then–Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin directed an assault on Chechnya that led to the first Russo-Chechen War. After a ceasefire, Chechnya became a “common economic space” within the Russian Federation, and Russia provided funds for the reconstruction of the war-ravaged republic. However, the situation in Chechnya remained unstable as separatists continued to fight for true autonomy from Russia. In 1999 the war between Russia and Chechnya resumed under the leadership of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin and continues to the present day. Since 1999 Russian soldiers have carried out “mopping up” campaigns to find and punish Chechen rebels. These campaigns have led to accusations of human rights abuses against Chechen civilians. Putin has attempted to tie the separatist movement to international terrorism and often claims that Chechen separatists are funded and trained by terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Afghanistan. After Russia launched its second attack on Chechnya, Chechen separatists increasingly turned to guerrilla warfare against the Russian military, government officials, and civilians. On June 6, 2000, a woman carried out the first suicide bombing in the conflict’s history by driving a truck filled with explosives into a temporary Russian special services detachment in Chechnya. Since the attack, women have been involved in numerous attacks against Russia, both in suicide bombings and in hostage situations that have been covered by the news media, including the New York Times. Most notably, the Times covered hostage situations at a Moscow theater in 2002 and at a school in Beslan in southern Russia in 2004. Chechen women rebels were involved in both scenarios. [3.89.163.156] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 09:58 GMT) 94 sara struCkMan iMages of WoMen in the Media The Chechen women involved in violent actions represent a direct contradiction to the dominant...