Sexual Counter-Revolutions and Queer Lives

Alexander Kondakov will explore the political economy of violence in Russia and beyond. Focusing on the structure and drivers of the current sexual counter-revolution by studying emotions manifested in violence against queer populations in Russia, Kondakov reviews texts of court files dealing with sexualised violence in order to understand what the emotional background of this phenomenon is.

Contemporary history has offered numerous occasion when scholars and activists have championed the victories of sexual revolutions: from the socialist innovations at the beginning of the USSR to the feminist achievements in 1960s Western societies, and the ‘transformation of intimacy’ in the 1990s.

Yet, not so much attention has been given to sexual counter-revolutions until very recently. These current reactions to social change in the sexual sphere are not new in form, but the conservative consensus across national borders and political affiliations is striking.

Russia has played an important role in the process of sexual counter-revolution. Its government claimed leadership in the movement by promoting ‘traditional values’ in the UN, and by legislating anti-LGBT and anti-feminist initiatives domestically.

The evening will be introduced by Dr. Richard Mole, UCL, who will also chair a Q&A session with the audience.

In English