Introduction
The field of Gender studies in Russia is very young. In 1996 during an international conference in St. Petersburg, Iulia Zhukova of the Russian National Library, held a lecture about the tools at that time available to write a History of Women. According to her experience one of the problems related to this big task was absence of research centers specifically devoted to Women’s studies because this field was practically nonexistent. (Ob instrumente dlia napisaniia “zhenskoi istorii, in Feministskaia teoriia i praktika: vostok i zapad , S.Peterburg, 1996). As a matter of fact the Moscow Center for Women studies (Moskovskii Tsentr Gendernykh issledovanii: http://ecsocman.hse.ru/text/21636815/) was established in April 1990 as a Department within the Institut social’no-ekonomicheskikh problem narodonaseleniia (Institute of Socioeconomic problems of the Population) of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Moreover Iulia Zhukova points out the minimal development of Women’s Libraries and Archives in Russia.
In the last 7 years gender studies in Russia were institutionalized as a new line in Russian humanities (see Z.Khotkina, Ten Years of Gender Studies in Russia, in Russian Social Science Review , July-August 2002, pages 4-12). But it is still quite difficult to find a bibliography which covers all the possible implications of this, essentially multidisciplinary field. For example the biographical and bibliographical dictionaries for the XIX century, which are specifically devoted to women, are scarce (see introduction to Golitsyn), and consider only female authors of belles-lettres. The section below is intended to provide some general strategies to assist the researcher faced with this lack of specific sources. It is not intended as a list of all possible sources on the topic.
General Search Strategies
To overcome the problem related to the lack of specific sources, oftentimes scholars need to consult general sources. Here we would like to point out some strategies to save time while searching these general sources looking for specific pieces of information on women.
For an overview of feminist literature see Corten, I.H., “Feminism in Russian Literature,” in Modern Encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet Literature, (Main Stacks Reference 891.703 M72) vol. 7. Edited by Harry B. Weber. Gulf Breeze, Fla.: Academic International Press, 1984 (pages 176-193). Corten suggests an extensive general bibliography on Russian and Soviet women, and some recent Soviet feminist works.
There is no general bibliography which could offer full coverage of gender topics for XIX century. The best place to find out what was written on the topic “Women” during the period of 1865 to 1876 is V.I.Mezhov’s bibliography Russkaia istoricheskaia bibliografiia za 1865-1876 , (International & Area Studies Microform (Slavic) 016.947 m57r1974) S.Peterburg, 1888. Look in the 7th volume under the entry: zhenshchiny i zhenskii vopros.
A good source to find information on women-workers during the Soviet era is the guide
Rabochii klass SSSR 1917-1977 gg. Ukazatel’ sovetskoi literatury, izdannoi v 1971-1977 gg. 4 volumes.
Compiler V. N. Zemskov. Moskva: Akademiia Nauk SSSR, 1978
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.3310947 Z 42r1986 v.1-4
See also the second edition Rabochii klass Rossiiskoi Federatsii 1917-1980 gg. Ukazatel’ sovetskoi literatury, izdannoi v 1917-1980 gg. Compiler V.N. Zemskov. 7 volumes. Moskva: Akademiia Nauk SSSR, 1982-1987.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.3310947 Z42r v.1-7
In the content of each volume of these two editions there are considerable sections with literature devoted to “women-workers” (“zhenshchiny – rabotnitsy”). Content is arranged chronologically and section on women occurs in almost each section. They feature published documents, statistical materials, books and articles on labor of women in Russia and plenty of sources on women in former Soviet republics. 4th volume offers extensive index of authors, editors and compilers, as well as small index of described personae’ names.
Collection covering period of 1917-1980 is organized by regions. Here too in the content scholar should search for “women-workers.” Last volume has same type of name indexes.
These bibliographies include very rare and useful Russian sources on women in industry, agriculture and other professional areas.
The lack of good bibliographical source for the second half of XX century, could be partially covered using bibliographical sources like Ezhegodnik knig and Knigi rossiiskoi federatsii . Here we would like to point out some time saving strategies in the use of these works.
Starting from 1961, apart from the name and title index, Ezhegodnik knig includes also a subject index. Here are listed entries like zhenskii vopros, zhenshchina, zhenshchina v SSSR, zhenshchina v Velikoi Otechestvennoi Voine 1941-’45, zhenskie bolezni, zhenskii trud. Note that in the table of contents of Ezhegodnik knig there are specific sections devoted to young men and to children, but the first mention to women’s studies in the table of contents appears only in 1994, as a subsection within the Ethnography section. Also in Knigi Rossiiskoi Federatsii the topic Women studies is part of Ethnography.
In almost every subseries of Novaia literatura po sotsial’nym i gumanitarnym naukam. Bibliograficheskii ukazatel’ (Moscow, INION RAN, 1947- ) you can find a chapter devoted to women. In the section devoted to sociology, look under sociology of marriage and family or sociology of gender. In the economy section, look under demographic profile of labor market; work of women. In the section devoted to natural sciences, there is a chapter on women-scientists. For every section look in the subject index under the entry: zhenshchiny, zhenskii trud, zhenskii vopros, zhenskoe dvizhenie.
Also the European Bibliography of Soviet, East European and Slavonic Studies (till 1989) and the European Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies (from 1990) are searchable under the subjects: family, youth and women.
In The American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies women’s studies are to be found in the Sociology section. You can also look for the entry women.
In Obshchestvennye nauki i sovremennost’ , starting from 1992, you can regularly find a special section devoted to women under the title “Zhenshchina v obshchestve” (see the annual index for every year). Also in Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniia , but starting from 1995, you can find the special section “Gendernye issledovaniia” which is added to the section “Sotsiologiia sem’i”. Starting from 1998 you can additionally check the entry zhenskoe dvizhenie or zhenskii vopros in Bibliografiia rossiiskoi bibliografii and the Russian National and Russian State Libraries online.
To find indexes to periodical devoted to gender issues, we refer you to Masanov’s Ukazateli soderzhaniia russkikh zhurnalov i prodolzhaiushchikhsia izdanii.
We would also suggest the Women’s Studies International database that is currently owned by EBSCO. It covers a wide range of materials including journals, newspapers, newsletters, bulletins, books, book chapters, proceedings, reports, theses, dissertations, NGO studies, websites and grey literature over the period from 1972 to the present. The database is available to U of I students and faculty through the Online ‘Journals and Databases.’ If you are not affiliated with U of I you may want to check with your institution or your local library: it is possible that they provide access to the Women’s Studies International.
Bibliographies
General bibliographies
Ukazatel’ literatury zhenskago voprosa na russkom iazyke.
(Sievernyi Viestnik , 7, 1887, pages 1-33)
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Microform (Slavic) MFICHE 057.SIE
This is a bibliography on Women studies in the second half of the XIX century. It is organized by topic (women history, actual status, women literary models, education, women and social work). Apart from an author index, there is no other access point. The bibliography is not annotated, it contains approx. 800 entries, and its main value is in the fact that it covers a period otherwise not well covered.
Bibliography of Works in English on Women in Russia and the Soviet Union: a guide for students and teachers. Manning, R. T.
Slavic and European Education Review , 1979, No. 1, pages 31- 62.
U of I Library Call Number: Main Stacks 379.0947 Si16
This is a brief annotated bibliography of English language materials on women in Russia, particularly useful for teachers and students of Slavic studies and women’s studies. The bibliography was originally compiled for the course “Women in Russian history and culture,” covering books and articles on women writers and artists, family life, peasant society, women in Soviet politics. It also includes primary source materials (memoirs, traveler’s accounts, law codes, legislative projects, etc.). Sources in French (unavailable in English) are also occasionally cited. The bibliography is arranged by subjects. No finding aid is available. Time scope: from early Russia to the 1970s.
Women in Russia and the Soviet Union
Comp. by T. Yedlin, J. Wilman. ISEES, Carleton University, Institute of Soviet and East European Studies. Bibliography No. 3., 203 pages.
This bibliography is not held at U of I.
In this work three bibliographies are compiled together: the bibliography by Roberta T. Manning “Bibliography of Works in English on Women in Russia and the Soviet Union: A Guide for Students and Teachers.” (Slavic and European Education Review, no.1 1979. pp. 31-61); the collection of bibliographic references of Pr. J.L. Black, Institute of Soviet and East European Studies, Carlton University, and the bibliography by Pr. T. Yeldin.
This concise (80 pages) bibliography includes articles, journals, and monographs written from 1800s to 1990 primarily in Russian and English, and some French. It covers literary and biographical works of Russian women writers, gender question from the point of view of sociology, history, law, education, political science, art and literature. Some of the older Russian and English sources presented in the bibliography are rare and little known, therefore bibliography is worthy of consulting. However, some of the sources are only distantly related to the gender topic. Work also contains general sources, such as Alexander Afanas’ev’s collection of Russian fairy tales; in these cases authors supply them with explanatory annotations. The bibliography is selectively annotated and includes author index.
Women in Russia and the Soviet Union
Comp. by Janet Hyer. Institute of Soviet and East European Studies. Bibliography #3. Supplement 1. Carleton University, 1988.
This bibliography is not held at U of I.
This concise bibliography (40 pages) is designed as a supplement to Yeldin and Wilman’s work. It is organized in a similar fashion including variety of topics: family, law, politics, education, statistics, industry and agriculture, health, health, literature and memoirs. Bibliography features sources in English, Russian, and French, and covers articles and dissertations in addition to books. Work is arranged alphabetically therefore subject and name indexes here are the most helpful. Sources are not annotated. Scholar may find rare and useful resources in the two bibliographies by Hyer and Yeldin & Wilman.
Women in Russia and the Soviet Union. An Annotated Bibliography.
By Rochelle Goldberg Ruthchild. NY: G.K. Hall & Co., 1993.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) and Oak Street Facility 016.30540947 R932W
This bibliography with 875 entries is supplied with valuable critical annotations. Bibliography is intended to aid students, teachers, and scholars in the field of Russian/Soviet studies. It addresses primarily historic sources, but also includes sources in anthropology, art, folklore, literature, linguistics, and mathematics. Bibliography includes monographs, articles, and many dissertations with significant information about gender, as well as those specifically focused on women. Bibliography covers English-language materials and translations of works by Russian scholars.
Work begins with references and general bibliographies and is arranged by subject topics: from Folk and Peasant Culture, The Ancient and Medieval Periods to the Soviet Period, 1918-1991. Each of the topics is divided into subsections: historical and general works; history and social science articles (and pamphlets); autobiographies and biographies; fiction, poetry, and literary criticism. Bibliography has author, title, and subject indexes.
Aktuelle russischsprachige Veröffentlichungen zu Frauen and Frauenforschung in Rußland bzw. der Sowjetunion. Bibliographische Hinweise für die Jahre 1987-1993, B. Schweizerhof, K.Mänicke-Gyöngyösi, U. Grabmüller, Berlin, Harrassowitz Verlag, 1995.
U of I Library Call Number: Main Stacks 016.30540947 AK79
This is a bibliography of Russian works on gender studies published between 1987 and 1993. The bibliography include more than 2000 titles and is organized by subject, because the main purpose of the authors is to show in which issues Russian scholars are more interested. It includes works by the Moskovskii Tsentr Gendernykh Issledovanii, general contributions on the subject, and articles by well-known Russian women. The sources for this work were Letopis’ zhurnalnikh statei and Letopis’ gazetnykh statei for the years 1990-1993, and Ezhegodnikh knig SSSR for the years 1989-1991. Moreover the authors used the INION on-line database for the whole period 1987-1993. This work is not a complete bibliography for that time period. As far as the access points are concerned, it has only a name index.
Russkaia zhenshchina: istoriia i sovremennost’. Dva veka izucheniia “zhenskoi temy” russkoi i zarubezhnoi naukoi. 1800-2000.
Pushkareva, N.L. Moskva: “Ladomir”, 2002.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.30540947 P979r
This latest and most thorough bibliography on women in Russia and former USSR should be consulted by every scholar of gender studies in Russia. The book begins with interesting introductory article on the development of “gender theme” in Russian scholarship. The author of bibliography presents very extensive (almost 300 pages) alphabetical list of books and articles in Russian and other Slavic languages. It is followed by a list of works in foreign languages, primarily in English (60 pages). Bibliography attempts to embrace all gender related topics. In addition, the list of women’s magazines of XIX-beginning of XX century is featured here. Bibliography is supplied by a subject index, which is the only tool for orientation in the corpus of the work. The biggest short-coming of Pushkareva’s bibliography is the lack of a finding aid: alphabetical listing makes browsing through the text very difficult. Scholars should be aware of the names of the authors they are searching or it will be necessary to scan the list of titles. The subject index is not extensive enough to eliminate this problem. The bibliography is not annotated.
Subject bibliographies for Women writers:
Women and Writing in Russia and the USSR. A Bibliography of English-Language Sources.
Diane M. Nemec Ignashev; Sarah Krive. NY&London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1992.
U of I Library Call Number: Main Stacks 016.891708 N341W
This bibliography of women and artistic culture in Russia and USSR, with supplementary sources, is intended for students, teachers, and researchers. Bibliography covers only English-language critical materials and translations. It includes periodical and series through 1990, and partly 1991.
The coverage is arranged by personal names and by subject: Creative Writing and Personal Documents, which covers translations of Russian women writings (fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, diaries) in alphabetical order by author; biographical critical sources arranged chronologically. It includes folklore sources and old Russian literature, as well as women of national territories and Soviet republics. Third part provides shorter list of supplementary sources on women and women’s experience, such as education, health and medicine, law, military, family and mothering, national identity and ethnic definition (arranged by territory), politics, prison and labor camps, religion and spirituality, rural communities, work, yearbooks and statistical reports. Last part features short list of bibliographies related to gender studies in Russia and USSR, including few Russian women’s bibliographies. Listings are not annotated.
Personal names index is provided; no subject index. This work is very useful and convenient for the search of Russian women writers.
This bibliography is a valuable source of recent English-language criticism and existing translations. In addition to women’s literary works, it addresses various areas of women’s life.
Subject Bibliographies for Education
Although education is traditionally considered a typical “woman’s field”, the two most important Soviet bibliographies on education do not contain any paragraphs specifically devoted to women. In Sovetskaia literatura po istorii shkoly i pedagogiki dorevoliutsionnoi Rossii (compiled by E.D.Dneprov, Moskva, 1979) scholars can check the entry zhenskoe obrazovanie in the subject index. The three volumes of Pedagogicheskaia bibliografiia do not have any subject index, so there is no way to find out what was written on the subject “women and education” between 1924 and 1940. However, if you know the name of a particular woman-teacher, you can check the section “O rabote otdel’nykh uchitelei” in vol. 2 (pages 142-144) and vol. 3 (pages 82-86). Also in Sovetskaia literatura po istorii shkoly i pedagogiki dorevoliutsionnoi Rossii there are some sections, where you can find information on particular teachers. But women are overlooked also in this case: the section on XVIII century contains information only on Ekaterina Dashkova (page 55), the section on the XIX and the beginning of the XX century, although richer in information, has 18 entries for women-teachers (pages 137-237), 2 more entries are to be found in the paragraph “Pedagogi i deiateli prosvshcheniia narodov Rossii” (pages 278-283). In both these two Soviet bibliographies you can find extensive information on Nadezhda Krupskaia. The XIX century can be covered with the following bibliography, which is completely devoted to women.
Ukazatel’ knig i zhurnalnykh statei po voprosam zhenskogo sel’skokhoziaistvennago obrazovaniia.
Blashke, R.E.S.Petersburg, Tipografiia I.N. Skorokhodova, 1905.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Microform (Slavic) MFICHE 016.63073 B61U
This is a bibliography of books and articles in Russian and in foreign languages (French and German, there are no titles in English) related to women rural education and published in the second half of the XIX century. There are 2 access points: a chronological listing of books and an alphabetical index of authors.
First of all are listed the sources on general questions related to the topic (676 entries). Then the author lists books and articles on the activity of a Society to improve women rural education, which committed to him this bibliography (307 entries). Finally, there are also works on other schools and institutions which deal with women rural education in Russia and in Europe. At the end the author includes a list of the most important sources he used to compile this bibliography.
Subject bibliographies for Women in statistics
There are not specific bibliographies devoted to this subject during the Soviet period. So the information must be retrieved in general bibliographical sources. The official yearly publications by the Soviet Statistical Institute should not be overlooked since they included chapters on women. Here we would like to refer scholars interested in statistical materials on women to the following sources:
Bibliografiia po problemam narodonaseleniia (sovetskaia i perevodnaia literatura, 1960-1971)
Ed. D.I.Valentei, E.Iu. Burnashev, Moscow, Statistika, 1974.
U of I Library Call Number : International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.312 B4712
Bibliografiia po problemam narodonaseleniia (sovetskaia i perevodnaia literatura, 1972-1975.)
Ed. D.I.Valentei, E.Iu. Burnashev, Moscow, Statistika, 1977.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.312 B93B
Look under the subjects problemy braka i sem’i, zhenskii trud or problemy zaniatosti zhenshchin, and problemy zdorov’ia zhenshchin i detei.
Bibliograficheskii ukazatel’ statei i materialov po statistike i uchetu. Zhurnal “Vestnik statistiki” za 50 let (1919-1968 gg.).
Ed. by A.T.Stavskii, V.V. Sinitsyn, Moscow, Statistika, 1971, pages 288-289.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.3147 ON6B
This work is for scholars interested in statistical materials in forms of tables specifically devoted to Soviet women.
Statisticheskie publikatsii v SSSR. Bibliograficheskii ukazatel’.
Ed. by E.A.Mashikhin, V.M.Simchera, Moscow, Statistika, 1975, page 87.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.3147 M37S
Here are listed the official statistical publications by Soviet organs on the topic women, children and young people. There are 2 works for 1936 and 1937, but only the ’60s are really well indexed.
Bibliography of Soviet statistical handbooks: 1956 to 1991.
Heleniak, T.E. Oriental Research Partners, Newtonville, Ma., 1992.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference 016.3147 H366BI1992
Sources for women and children in USSR and RSFSR. Time scope: 1960-1992.
Zhenshchiny v SSSR. Statisticheskii sbornik.
Moscow, Tsentral’noe statisticheskoe upravlenie pri Sovete Ministrov SSSR, 1975.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 396 R922Z
Zhenshchiny v SSSR. Statisticheskie materialy.
Moscow, Tsentral’noe statisticheskoe upravlenie SSSR, 1982-90.
U of I Library Call Number: Main Stacks 305.40957 Z61
These are collections of statistical data. The following fields are taken into consideration: politics, industry, agriculture, science, culture, welfare. There are interesting data about women education, and, in Soviet style, comparison with other countries.
The time period is very flexible: the most part of the data refers to 1939-1975 and later to 1990, but there are some data that go back to the end of XIX century.
A recent version of this collection of statistical data is a publication of the Goskomstat issued in 2000 under the title Zhenshchiny i muzhchiny Rossii (U of I Call Number : Main Stacks 314.7 G699z). It includes data on Russian women and men concerning age, education, health, occupation, and other fields. Time scope: 1958-1999.
Subject bibliographies for Women and Law
Here applies the same rule: scholars interest in juridical problems related to women must look in general bibliographical sources.
For the pre-revolutionary period:
Sistematicheskii ukazatel’ russkoi literatury po sudoustroistvu i sudoproizvodstvu, grazhdanskomu i ugolovnomu .
Povoronskii, A.S.Peterburg, Tipografiia pravitel’stvuiushchago senata, 1896.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.3447 P869S1981
HathiTrust full-text links:
vol. 1 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101074754902
vol. 2 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101074754910
This is a general index of legal publications for the 19th century. It is valuable for those working in women’s studies as there are specific access points to identify the works on this topic. To find the works Povoronskii includes on women look in the subject index under the entry “zhenshchiny.”
For the Soviet period:
Soviet Law in English. Research Guide and bibliography, 1970-1987
Kavass, I.I. Williams S. Hein and Co., Law Book Publishers, Buffalo, New York, 1988.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.34947 K174S; Oak Street Z6458.S65 K381988
This is a bibliography of English works on Soviet law. It can be searched either by subject or by author. Since the subject index is very good, we suggest you to look in it to find citations, and then go to the annoted bibliography by author. In the check list of authors, those expressing the official Soviet perspective are indicated with a little star. Citations on women can be found on pages 252-253.
Spravochnik zhenshchiny-rabotnitsy. Prava zhenshchiny po sovetskomu zakonodatel’stvu
Rumiantseva, M., Pergament, A., Gromova, G. Moscow, izd-vo VTSSPS Profizdat, 1965, second revised edition.
U of I Library Call Number: Main Stacks 396.2 R86S1965
This is a collection of laws related to women. This source has a good subject index.
If you are interested in family law, we suggest you to look for a bibliography in the following sources:
Literatura po sovetskomu pravu. Bibliograficheskii ukazatel’ .
Izd.-vo akademii nauk SSSR, Moscow, 1960.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.34 AK1LFACSIM
This is a bibliography on Soviet law accessible also to students who do not read Russian: not only the introductions to every chapter, but also the entries are translated in English. For family law see pages 138-144.
Soviet Legal Bibliography. A classified an annotated listing of books and periodicals published in Soviet Union since 1917 as represented in the collection of the Harvard Law School Library as of January 1, 1965, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1965.
Mostecky, V., Butler, W.E.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.3400947 H26s
The bibliography is a good source not only to find out which secondary literature was published on the topic “family law”(pages 81-84), but also to have a thorough overview on laws and regulations (pages 21-22). Further, laws on women can be find looking in the subject index under the entry “women.”
If your topic is criminal law and women, we suggest you to take a look to the following work.
Sovetskoe ugolovnoe pravo: bibliograficheskii spravochnik (1961-1980).
Moscow, “Iuridicheskaia Literatura”, 1983.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 016.34547 G664S
This is a bibliography on Soviet criminal law published between 1961 and 1980. See especially pages 199-201 for illegal abort and sexual crimes.
Subject bibliographies for Women and the War; Women in the Army
Sovetskaia zhenshchina v Velikoi otechestvennoi voine: annotirovannyi ukazatel’ literatury .
Ed. by P.B. Zakharevich, K.V. Buchinskaia, V.Smirnova, Moscow, Gos. Biblioteka SSSR im. V.I.Lenina, 1944.
U of I Library Call Number: History, Philosophy, & Newspaper FILM 016.9405315 SO91
This is an annotated bibliography on Women and their role during the Second World War. There is practically no order: not chronological, not alphabetical. Also the subject division is completely unclear. There is no index.
Armiia i flot Rossii. Voenno-patrioticheskaia literatura. Bibliograficheskie i metologicheskie materialy .
Rossiiskaia Gosudarstvennaia Biblioteka, Moskva, 1996, pages 66-102.
This bibliography is not held at UIUC.
OCLC: 44044575
Within this bibliography, there is a special section devoted to women and their role in Russian war matters. This bibliography is annotated and divided in four subjects: general literature, women and military service in the past, women during the Second World War, women-fighters in literature. It includes only works in Russian. There is no index.
Subject bibliographies for Erotica and sexual behavior
For a bibliography of sources related to Slavic sexual behavior in mythology see:
Russkii Fol’klor. Bibliograficheskii ukazatel’ 1991-1995
S.Petersburg, 2001, pages 225-228 (U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) and Oak Street Facility 016.39805 RU 1991-1995).
This source is useful also in relation to Slavic wedding usage (pages 236-245). Scholars interested in Slavic family and wedding usages should not overlook the editions of this bibliography covering the years from 1976 to 1985: Russkii Fol’klor. Bibliograficheskii ukazatel’ 1981-1985, S.Petersburg, 1993, pages 46-47 and 141-147 and Russkii Fol’klor. Bibliograficheskii ukazatel’ 1976-1980, Leningrad, 1987, pages 90-98.
Zhenshchina v mifakh i legendakh,
ed. by O.P.Valianskaia, Tashkent, Glavnaia Redaktsiia entsiklopedii, 1992 (UIUC Call Number : Main Stacks 398.03 Z61). We suggest also to look this resource which is a folklore dictionary of female representations in the mythologies of the world includes images both from bible mythology and popular epos.
Maloizvestnye istochniki po slavianskoi etnoseksologii (konec XIX – nachalo XX).
Toporkov, A.L.in Etnicheskie stereotipy muzhskogo i zhenskogo povedeniia. Ed. by Baiburin A.K. and Kon, S., Sankt-Peterburg, 1991, 307-318.
U of I Library Call Number: Main Stacks 305.3 ET57
The article’s purpose is to suggest a brief bibliography on the sexual behavior of the Slavic peoples. Apart from some brief references to work on this topic written in Ukraine and on the Balkans, the author is mainly focused on 2 European serials, Anthropophyeia and Kryptadia, which are described in detail.
Dictionaries
Terminological dictionaries
Slovar’ gendernykh terminov
ed. by Denisova A.A., Moskva: Informatsiia – XXI vek, 2002.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 305.4203 Sl58
This terminological dictionary is part of the project “Gendernoe prosveshchenie – dlia vsekh” (“Gender Education for everybody”), promoted by the organization “Vostok-Zapad: Zhenskie Innovatsionnye Proekty” (East-West: Women Innovative Projects”). It involved 49 specialists in the field of gender studies. However this work is not really directed at the scholar, but rather, tarets the general public. As the compiler explains in the introduction the aim of this dictionary is mainly educational and practical.
The dictionary lists 380 “gender terms”, i.e. words and expressions referring to special concepts in gender studies. The criteria, according to which the terms are selected to be included in the dictionary, are the following: how important is that concept within the system of gender concepts; how much it can potentially help educating people about gender questions; to which extent is the term clear to scholars themselves. Most entries present themselves as brief signed articles, only a few entries are compiled by the editor with the help of lexicographical sources. Each entry includes the following information: the term and its alternatives or synonyms, a definition or a description of the concept, the corresponding English term, and a brief bibliography on the concepts explained.
An electronic version of the dictionary is available on-line (http://www.owl.ru/gender/ ).
Bio- and bibliographical dictionaries of Women writers:
Bibliograficheskii slovar’ russkikh pisatel’nits .
Golitsyn, N. N. S.Peterburg, Tipografiia V.S.Balasheva, 1889, 308 pages.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) Q.016.928917 G58B 1987
The source is significant, as there were only 3 bibliographies on the literary activity of Russian women-writers:
- Bibliograficheskii katalog rossiiskim pisatel’nitsam. Russov, S. V. S.Peterburg, 1826. According to Golitsyn, it contains brief and not always exact info on 97 women-authors.
- Materialy dlia istorii russkikh zhenshchin-avtorov. Makarov, M. N. 1829. Contains information on 65 women-authors.
- Russkie pisatel’nicy XVII I XIX veka. Bilevich N.I. in Moskovskii Gorodskoi Listok , No. 78, 79, 80, 108-114, 167-183, 1847.
Golitsyn’s work places itself after these first attempts. He started his bibliographical researches on this subject in 1857, preparing a list of Russian women-writers, which appeared in the Moscow weekly journal Molva (see the series Bibliograficheskie zametki in N. 28-30, 32, 34, 35). This list comprehended 314 names, and was meant to be a preliminary survey to the more complete and detailed list, which appeared in N. 9 and 10 of Russkii Arkhiv in 1865 under the title Slovar russkikh pisatel’nits .
In the following 15 years he continued working on this project, and finally published his new Slovar russkikh pisatel’nits in 1880 in the journal Varshvskii Dnevnik : its time scope went till 1875, and it comprehended 1043 names of Russian women-writers.
The Bibliograficheskii slovar’ russkikh pisatel’nits presents itself like a revised edition of the Slovar’ russkikh pisatel’nits of 1880; it appeared in the Zhurnal Ministerstva Narodnago Prosveshcheniia, and also as a single volume. The main source of Golitsyn’s work was the collection in the Imperatorskaia Publichnaia Biblioteka. He also addressed himself to the Russian women-writers of his time, asking their collaboration in sending information about their lives and works. Moreover, the famous bibliographer S.I.Ponomarev helped him in the revision of his Slovar’ russkikh pisatel’nits. It consists of 2 parts: the first one lists 1213 names of women writing in Russian and in other languages, the second comprehends 73 names of Russian women writing only in foreign languages. The chronological scope of this work comprehends 2 centuries.
There is no index, entries are ordered alphabetically by surname as is typical for so many biographical sources. At the beginning are listed the anonymous works.
Entries include full names and pseudonyms and a list of works by each author. Biographical and bibliographical information on the author, and information on the reviews of the books are not always included. The space devoted to each writer can vary from 2-3 lines to several pages, according to how much they wrote or was written on them.
Nashi pisatel’nitsy.
Ponomarev, S.I. in Sbornik otdeleniia russkago iazyka i slovestnosti Imperatorskoi Akademii nauk ,
tom LII, No. 7, S.Peterburg, Tip. Imp. Akademii nauk, 1891, pages 1-77.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Microform (Slavic) MFICHE 491.706AKO.
Ponomarev’s work is divided in two parts: in the first one (1-22) the author’s aim is to point out in which fields Russian women were more active during the XX century. To achieve this, he groups them in 29 categories of literary activity, from “belletristika” to “bibligrafiia”, “kritika i retsenziia” and “muzyka”, etc. It is just a list of names, which only additional value in comparison to Golitsyn’s work Bibliograficheskii slovar’ russkikh pisatel’nits is only to add new names. Apart from some comments on Golitsyn’s work, this first part is significant in two other points: a bibliography of women’s works on women’s education (19-20), and a brief bibliography on Russian women writers (20-21). The second part (22-77) is much more relevant: it is a supplement to Golitsyn’s Bibliograficheskii slovar’ russkikh pisatel’nits. Here Pomonarev makes some corrections to Golitsyn and adds new information.
Dictionary of Russian Women Writers.
Ledkovsky, M., Rosenthal, C, Zirin, M. Westport,Ct.: Greenwood press, 1994.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 891.700922 D561
This is a bio-bibliographical dictionary with information on 448 Russian women writers. This source is the result of a collaboration of many scholars from every part of the world, including Russia. The authors listed span several centuries so that the dictionary covers the Russian women writers who lived from 1760-1992.Writers are alphabetically listed.
The authors decided to give space to those women writers who “have contributed substantially to, or have been seen as part of, the community of authors, critics, and historians of the “artistic” forms of prose, poetry and drama” (p. XXIV). The space devoted to each writer is really extensive, and includes reference information.
The work includes a useful Chronology of Russian women writers and a time line of Russian women writers in historical context. The index is really well done: it includes not only names, but also keywords.
Checklist of Women Journalists in Imperial Russia.
Farris. J.P., in An improper profession. Women, gender, and journalism in late imperial Russia.
ed. b.T.Norton, J.M.Gheith, Duke University Press, 2001, pages 281-313.
U of I Library Call Number: History, Philosophy, & Newspaper and Oak Street Facility 070.0820947 Im78
This is a list of women who worked for the legal and illegal periodical press in Imperial Russia, not only as journalists, but also as sotrudnitsy or translators. Approx. 500 names are listed. The information can be very short, or extensive. In most case the following information is to be found: maiden and married names, pseudonyms, birth and death dates, and periodical for which she worked.
This checklist is preceded by the article “Sources for the Study of Russian women Journalists”, pages 249-279. It is a very good bibliographical essay on women studies in Russia and, above all, on women journalists before the revolution. It includes an extensive bibliography of related titles.
Anthologies
“A se grekhi zlye, smertnye …”. Liubov’, erotica i seksual’naia etika v doindustrial’noi Rossii (X – pervaia polovina XIX v.)
ed. by Pushkareva N.L., Nauchno-izdatel’skii tsentr “LADOMIR”, Moscow, 1999, 861 pages.
U of I Library Call Number: Main Stacks 392.60947 A98
Although anthologies cannot be considered reference sources, here we would like to draw attention to this particularly valuable work: in its first part it includes a collection of Russian texts on love, erotica, and sexual ethics in Russia in the pre-industrial period, the publication of which is truly a “bibliographical rarity” (p. 6).
Directories
Since one important aspect of doing research is the possibility of being in touch with other scholars working in the same field, here we would like to list some up-dated directories of individuals and institutions.
Zhenskie nepravitel’stvennye organizatsii Rossii i SNG .
ed. by Abubikirova, N. I., Klimenkova, T. A., Kochkina, E.V., Regentova, M. A., Troinova, T. G. Moscow, Izd. Eslan, 1998.
This work is not held at U of I.
OCLC: 43085277
This directory includes information on 447 women organizations in Russia and 216 organizations in the former Soviet republics. For a great part of them, it provides a brief description of their activity and contact information (sometimes including e-mail addresses). There are interesting sections on women periodical publications, and on state departments dealing with women problems.
This work is easily accessible: women organizations in Russia can be searched alphabetically, geographically, according to their sphere of interests or to their target groups.
Gender Studies & Women’s Studies Directory. Resources in the Countries of Central & Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union & Mongolia.
Open Society Institute Program, 1999, Budapest.
U of I Library Call Number: Main Stacks 305.40943 G285
This directory attempts to collect information on university programs, courses, research, and individuals dedicated to gender and women’s studies in central-east Europe, the former Soviet Russia and Mongolia. The directory is updated October 1998. It comprehends over 150 entries. The editors explain their principles in such way: “to identify the locations of established, active, and ongoing teaching and research in gender and women’s studies both within and outside of the academy” (page vi). Within the listings for each country, entries are subdivided into four primary categories: Independent Teaching and Research Centers, University Based Programs, Key Individual Resource Persons, Documentation Centers and Publications. For some countries are included also Government Organizations and Professional Associations.
The directory is easily accessible: apart from the index of listings by country and city, there is also an index of names.
Internet Resources
Zhenskiaia Informatsionnaia Set’
URL: http://www.womnet.ru/db .
In 1993-1995 some members of the Moscow Center for Gender Studies (Anastasia Posadskaya, Valentina Konstantinova, Zoya Khotkina, Tatiana Dorokhina), of the SAFO (Natalia Filippova, Natalia Abubikirova, Marina Regentova, Natalia Lebedeva, Valeria Tukmanova, Olga Lipovskaya, Tatiana Poddubnaya, Elena Morozova), and some employees of the Institute of Philosophy of Academy of Sciences (Olga Voronina, Tatiana Klimenkova) started working on a Zhenskii Informatsionnyi proekt – Arkhiv. Baza dannykh. Biblioteka (ADL, sponsored by the government of Germany through Frauenanstiftung Foundation.
In April 1996, this project underwent a reorganization, in consequence of which were founded three independent organizations taking care of the three different sub-projects: Archive, Data Base and Library. The first project is of particular interest. It is a data base on women’s movement in Russia by Zhenskaia Informatsionnaia Set’ –
This database was developed (and is maintained) by the non-profit organization Women’s Information Network (ZhenSet). It presents itself like a sub-project within the big project called “Women’s Informational Project – Archive, Data Base, Library” (ADL).
As the authors of this data-base state: “The main objectives of our activities are collecting, storing and dissemination of information about women and for women”.
The database includes about 1500 women’s organizations founded starting from the late 80s. It is limited in its geographical scope to Russia and ex Soviet Republics. The data-base can be browsed by “TITLES” (index of organizations), by “INTEREST” (sphere of interest), or by “AREA” (area of location).
There is no generalized search tool. Since there is no searching tool, it is impossible to search for a specific participant in a woman’s movement. In the section “Titles” the organizations are alphabetically ordered.
The information listed varies for each organization: full name and address are always available. Other commonly given information is the following: the phone and fax numbers, e-mail and Web site, the sphere of interest, a brief list of the most important members, the year in which the organization was established, the number of members.
In the section “Interest”, there is a quite detailed list of spheres of interest. Within every area of interest, the organizations are geographically ordered; links are provided to the “personal card” of every organization. An English version is available, however it contains many mistakes.
Gendernye issledovaniia v Rossii i SNG. Kto est’ Kto. Spravochnik.
ed. by Khotkina, Z., M. TSDZHA, 2000.
U of I Library Call Number: International & Area Studies Russian Reference (Slavic) 305.420947 G2852
Web version:
URL: http://www.owl.ru/win/books/dbras_who_is_who/index.htm
The work contains information about 250 Russian scholars interested in women’s studies. It includes information about their names, spheres of interest, courses, and publications.The main source of this work was the database of the gender research developed by the Center of Documentations/ Women’s Archive by means of surveys regarding the scholars who participated in the three Russian Summer Laboratories on Gender and Women’s studies in 1996-1998.
The information contained in this 2000 version is up-to-date as far as the addresses, academic titles, spheres of interest, and publications of the scholars are concerned.
The purpose of the work is clearly stated by the authors: “we consider this directory and project Database Gender Research in Russia as the first but perhaps the most difficult step towards creation of common information ground for everyone who is professionally engaged in gender studies and open for cooperation.” In other words: to enhance cooperation in this field. Also in this case, unfortunately there is no searching tool. There is only an alphabetical index, and a geographical index.
The work is mainly focused on Russian scholars, and includes little information on Slavic scholars in general.
A big limitation of this work is that the information contained on the forms received by the authors was not verified. The main criterion in the formation of this data-base was the auto identification of the scholars who sent the forms. There is no English version. From a visual point of view, the Web site is not very clearly organized.
Rossiiskie zhenshchiny v XX veke. Opyt epokhi.
The site provides bibliographical information, but it should be remembered that its main purpose is to give links to texts online. The chronological scope is from the end of XIX to our days. The information included in this site can be searched vertically (pre-soviet, soviet and post-soviet periods) and/or horizontally (e.g. thematically).
Other interesting access points are the chronological index and the name index.
In the chronological index are listed those years, which are mentioned in the books accessible online from this site. Every date provides a link to the bibliographical information about the book(s) from which the citation was taken, and moreover a link to the text(s) on-line. The name index follows the same principle. For example, clicking on the name Aristotle, the patron is taken first to the complete bibliographical information about the book(s) from which the citation is taken, and then to the text online.
There is also an authors’ index, with links to the information about the author, and to a bibliography of his/her works reproduced in this site.
A useful part of this site is a filmography on the subject from the 20s to our days by Elena Stishova.
Katalog resursov Internet po teme “Zhenshchina i obshchestvo”
URL: http://owl.ru/iw/index.html
This site can be considered an annotated bibliography of Internet resources to the topic Woman and Society. The site is really well structured. There is an introduction, which gives a lot of useful information about the site, including information on the authors. We would like to cite some lines from the site about the purpose of the site, the scope of the subject, and the public addressed.
According to the compilers, “Internet – to women” is a catalog of information resources, which covers a broad theme of women in society. The aim of catalog creators is to enhance access to information for women through the Internet, to supply information for women’s societies and organizations. Catalog has educational purposes and is intended for the broad audience: for women’s group and associations, for journalists, experts, politicians, and independent scholars. Catalog covers all aspects of the relations between woman and society, although it emphasizes themes of women’s rights, activities and achievements of women’s organizations, politics, gender research, problems of violence. It includes 14 subject sections: “Women’s movement,” “Women’s rights – human rights,” “Women and gender studies,” “Politics,” “Problems of violence,” “SMI,” “Health,,” “Education,” “Social issues,” “Women’s creative works, culture, and art,” “Economics,” “Religion,” “Grant sponsors, funds, benefactors,” “Sexuality.” The visitors of the site have the possibility to add information to the site itself or to change wrong information given in other sites. There is also a searching tool.
In the section “Zhenskoe tvorchestvo, kul’tura i iskusstvo” the visitor can find precious information about Women bibliographies.
Novaia Rossiia gender studies bibliographies
URL: http://www.prometeus.nsc.ru/biblio/newrus/gender.ssi
The Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Library created bibliographies on a wide array of subjects in social sciences. Their gender studies bibliographies are separated into three different parts. The main part is devoted to Russian book and journal publications in gender studies in general and is available by the link above. Even though somewhat limited in number this bibliography gets regular updates and can be used for tracing recent publications in the field. Other two parts are arranged by gender:
A woman in the mirror of bibliography
URL: http://www.prometeus.nsc.ru/women/mirror/
A man in the sight of bibliography
URL: http://www.prometeus.nsc.ru/gender/sight/
They both have further division by topic: marriage, demography, history, labor, etc. and both allow browsing by topic and by alphabet.
Other bibliographies and resources on women/feminism/gender studies created by the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Library include:
Resursy Otdeleniia GP NTB SO RAN, posviashchennye problemam zhenshchin
URL: http://www.prometeus.nsc.ru/women/
This site lists some publications related to feminism held by the Resursnyi Tsentr Gumanitarnogo Obrazovaniia (Reference Center for Education in the Humanities). It also allows to search their catalog.
Sovremennaia delovaia zhenshchina: Bibliografiia 1993-1999 gg.
URL: http://www.prometeus.nsc.ru/biblio/spravka/buswom.ssi
This is a bibliography of works written between 1993 and 2001, and devoted to women and business.
Feminizm: Istoriia i sovremennost’.
URL: http://www.prometeus.nsc.ru/archives/exhibits/women.ssi
This site is compiled by I.G. Iudina. It is divided into 7 topics: women and history, religion, psychology, history and theory of feminism, feminism and gender sociology, women rights, feminism and gender studies in Russia. The entries are not annotated, but there are provided with the call number for the Reference Center for Education in the Humanities holdings.
Central Asia Gender Studies Bibliography
URL: http://www.gender.cawater-info.net/knowledge_base/bibliography/index.htm
The “Gender and Water in Central Asia” project uses a different approach to arranging its bibliographies: they separate publications by the country; in addition to the general gender studies bibliography, they have bibliographies for works published in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in 1994-2007. Researchers may find it interesting to explore the rest of the website as it contains additional resources on gender studies: news, publications, legislation, and a thesaurus.
Lesbigei i kvir issledovaniia
URL: http://lgbtqstudies.wordpress.com
The field of LGBTQ studies is still underdeveloped in Russia and finding Russian language publications on this topic may prove difficult. “LGBT i Kvir Teoriia i Issledovaniia” is one of the few resources that can help. This website is constructed in the form of a blog and includes various types of materials: monographs, journal publications, dissertations and book reviews. As of this writing (July 2010) the bibliography contains 171 records, some of them are annotated, and some lead to full text versions.
Slavic and East European Studies. Resources at the University of Chicago.
URL: http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/slavic/inside.html
The University of Chicago library has a very rich collection of gender studies’ works, and it gives a bibliography of its latest acquisitions online.
Created by University of Chicago library this selected list of recently acquired titles in women’s studies includes sources on women and the family in the post-soviet states, Central and Eastern Europe and works of Russian women authors.
The site provides bibliographic citations of abundant sources. The sections are divided into general reference works, serial titles, works on particular regions of Eastern Europe, anthologies, memoirs, diaries and autobiographies, and works of prose, poetry, drama. A table of contents is included for the latest collections.
AWSS. The Association for women in Slavic studies.
The Association of Women in Slavic Studies’ Website “aims to serve as an up-to-date, functional resource for those interested in women’s issues as they pertain to Slavic and East European cultures.” It is a “networking resource for people concerned with the problems, status, and achievements of women in the profession. It also attempts to cover research and teaching in women’s studies and questions of gender and family life in Central/Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. The organization is affiliated with AAASS (The American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies).” This is a good place for scholars and graduate students interested in scholarly discussions on current topics and problems in Slavic/Central East European women’s studies.
Moscow Center for Gender Studies
URL: www.gender.ru
An English version is available, but the Russian version is much more complete. In the Library catalog you can find information about the monographs and the periodicals in Russian and foreign languages held by the Moscow Center for Gender Studies. The catalog has two access points: alphabetical and systematical. For a bibliography of the reference sources held by the Center, look in the systematical catalog under the voice “Bibliographies, encyclopedias, dictionaries.” Another relevant page of this site is the one devoted to the publications of the Center.