Men in Contemporary Russia

’An intriguing and suggestive book that illuminates men's experience as they try to find new meanings for manhood in post-Soviet Russia. Based on interviews with men from Siberia and the European heartland of Russia, and from a wide range of backgrounds, Kay's book explores how these men have responded to the challenges of military service, the new economy, marital life and fatherhood. The commonplace view of Russia's men as superfluous and self-destructive in the face of economic and national crisis is found wanting, and the significance of both the civic and the intimate in Russian men’s own reconstructions of gender should give politicians, policy makers and scholars pause for thought.’ Dan Healey, Senior Lecturer, Swansea University, UK ’Rebecca Kay’s study of narratives of masculinity brings an important new dimension to the English-language literature on gender in post-Soviet Russia. This book is a thoroughly researched, empathetic and engagingly written account of how the other half has negotiated the constraints of the post-Soviet gender regime. It will be an important resource for teaching and research in the fields of gender studies, Russian and East European studies, sociology, cultural studies and social policy.’ Hilary Pilkington, University of Warwick, UK ’Russian policymakers concerned about very high male mortality and very low birthrates would do well to read Kay’s account...The challenges for Russian men and women are great because of the scale and rapidity of change but they are also part and parcel of far broader processes of globalization. Kay’s fascinating and insightful work helps to enhance our understanding of both.’ Transitions Online ’With this thorough and rich study of changing masculinities in contemporary Russia, Rebecca Kay has made an important contribution to our understanding of gendered structures and relations in post-socialist societies...Kay’s study...fills a gap in the literature and simultan