Village Values: Negotiating Identity, Gender, and Resistance in Urban Russian Life-Cycle Rituals

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

Village Values Negotiating Identity, Gender, and Resistance in Urban Russian life-Cycle Rituals VILLAGE VALUES NEGOTIATING IDENTITY, GENDER, AND RESISTANCE IN URBAN RUSSIAN LIFE-CYCLE RITUALS JEANMARIE ROUHIER-WILLOUGHBY Bloomington, Indiana, 2008 SLAVICA © 2008 by the author. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-0-89357-353-9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publica tion Data Rouhier-Willoughby, Jeanmarie, 1961Village Values : negotiating identity, gender, and resistance m contemporary Russian life-cycle rituals / Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-89357-353-9 1. Rites and ceremonies--Soviet Union. 2. Soviet Union--Social life and customs. 3. Rites and ceremonies--Russia (Federation) 4. Russia (Federation)- -Social life and customs. 5. Life cycle, Human. 1. Title. GT2402.565R68 2008 306.40947--dc22 Siavica Publi shers Indiana University 261 1 E. 10th St. Bloomington, IN 47408-2603 USA 2008042815 [Tel.] 1-8 12-856-4186 [Toll-free] 1-877-SLAVICA [Fax] 1-812-856-4187 [Email] slavica@ indiana.edu [www] http://www.slavica.com/ This book is dedicated to my parents, Bill and Helen Rouhier, who taught me to love ritual and who opened the door to Russiafor me. n ycmlJ JeMA5I6yiJem UM nyxoM. Pa3B11T11e HOBoM 06pJlAOCTM BCeMepHO cnoCo6cTByeT CTaHOBAeHI1IO M YKpen .ll eHMIO COBeTCKoro 06pa3a )l(I1 3HH, COBeprneHCTBOBa HI1IO B3aMMOOTHOrneH11I1 AIOA,eM Ha npOM3BOACTBe, B CeMbe H B 6 blTY [ .. .] MCKAIOt.IaIOT BCJIKYIO B03MO)l(HOCTb npOnOBeA,H HaCI1AH5I, CeKca 11 npOt.IHX yp0;\AMBblXnpMMeT 6YP)l(ya3Horo 06pa3a )l(M3HM. (The development of a new ritualism enables the institution and strengthening of the Soviet way of life to its utmost, the perfection of mutual relations of people in production, in the family and in daily life [... ] they exclude any possibility for the propagation of violence, sex, and other abnormal tokens of the bourgeois way of life). - V. A. Rudnev, Save/skie pmzdniki, obriady, ri/uaiy The family is founded on love and families are the cells that make up the state. - Valentina in Women's Decnmeron, b y Iulia Voznesenskaia 4J1J1 cYLQeCTBOBaHM5I )l(e o6LQeC'rBa Tp e6yeTCJI, lJTo6bl HOBbIe nOKOJleHMJI BKJlIOt.IaJlI1 Cb B npoQecc COQl1a.llM3aQMM, 11 3TO A,eAaeT ce MblO Heo6xoA,MMO MJI Hero. ITp113HaBa5I M YBa)l(a5I ceMblO, o6LQecTBo CTpeMl1TCJI oCYI--QecTBA5lTb HaA Heft KOH-rpOJlb [ ... J. CeMbJl cYLQeCTByeT nOCTOJlbKY, nocKOJlbKY crpeM M TcJ! K aBTOHOMMM [...]. (For a society to exist it must en sure tha t n ew gen erations are included in the process of socialization, and this makes the family necessary to it. While recognizing and respecting the family, a society strives to exert control over it [... ]. The family exists only so long as it strives for autonomy [...J). - I. A. Raz umova, Potnennoe znnnie sovremennoi russkoi sem'i ...