Feminist Antiwar Resistance: Subverting Totalitarian Rhetoric

• In Event: Russian Dissent in Social Media: Protest against the Totalitarian State

Abstract

The current Russian government sees feminism as a threat to its “traditional values” and seeks to eliminate the movement by any means possible, for instance, by labelling activists as foreign agents or undesirable organizations. However, these practices do not deter new movements from appearing: after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the Feminist Antiwar Resistance (FAR) was founded. FAR uses digital media to create content, establish connections, and disperse information among like-minded members. While doing so, the activists seek to undermine the agenda of the current regime and inform individuals living in Russia about the possible steps they can take to maintain the shreds of independence through still legal but quickly disappearing means. This paper analyzes FAR’s strategies on social media within the wider lens of Russian feminism and the transformation of political activism under a tightening grip of the totalitarian regime.

Author

• Elizaveta Volkovskaia, U of Pittsburgh