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ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Agents of Soviet Decline: Mass Media Representations of Prostitution during Perestroika

Downing, Emma C
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1558917654946012

Abstract Details

2019, BA, Oberlin College, History.
In 1986, the Soviet newspaper ​Komsomolskaya pravda ​printed an article titled “Nina of Minsk” detailing the scandalous adventures of a prostitute-turned-brothel owner. The first of its kind, this article horrified and fascinated the Soviet reading public in equal measure, serving as an initial exposure to the topic of prostitution in the mass media. The conversation surrounding prostitution became more heated in light of the Soviet Union’s failing economy, as well as the policy of ​glasnost’, ​which freed the press from rigid censorship. Prostitution rapidly became a popular topic of debate due to its illicit nature and impact on labor and public health issues. In response to these concerns, individuals from all walks of life began writing letters to newspapers explaining their views on prostitution. This public conversation about prostitution thus reflected a broader set of social and economic anxieties, and offers historians specific insight into how the Soviet public was reacting to the economic turmoil that rocked the Soviet Union in the 1980s. This thesis will explore this conversation and how the mass media’s focus on prostitution reveals concerns about broader social issues, including shifting gender norms, standards of morality, and public health, more specifically associated with fears about the spread of AIDS.
Chris Stolarski (Advisor)
71 p.
History; Russian History
Soviet; prostitution; brothel; press; mass media; Soviet Union; social issues; Komsomolskaya; Perestroika;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Downing, E. C. (2019). Agents of Soviet Decline: Mass Media Representations of Prostitution during Perestroika [Undergraduate thesis, Oberlin College]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1558917654946012

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Downing, Emma. Agents of Soviet Decline: Mass Media Representations of Prostitution during Perestroika . 2019. Oberlin College, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1558917654946012.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Downing, Emma. "Agents of Soviet Decline: Mass Media Representations of Prostitution during Perestroika ." Undergraduate thesis, Oberlin College, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1558917654946012

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

oberlin1558917654946012
396
© 2019, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Agents of Soviet Decline: Mass Media Representations of Prostitution during Perestroika by Emma C Downing is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Oberlin College Honors Theses and OhioLINK.