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This book provides a fresh overview on the debate about the remarkable regression of gender equality in the Balkans and South Caucasus caused by the fall of socialism and by the revitalization of religion in Turkey. Contrary to the prevailing opinion of researchers who state continuous male domination, the book presents strong arguments for an alternative outlook. By contrasting the realia of gender relations with the utopia of new femininities and new masculinities driven by digital visual communication, the book provokingly concludes with the arrival of two utopias: the Marlboro Man - still authoritative but lonely - conquering and refusing family obligations; and with the emergence of a new femininity type - strong and beautiful. As such this book provides a great resource to anthropologists, demographers, sociologists, gender and media researchers and all those interested in feminist issues.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- 2. The Balkans and South Caucasus - Eurasia Minor.- 3. Patriarchies, Femininities and Masculinities.- 4. Producers, Agents, and Transmitters.- 5. Veiling-chic Cultures.- 6. Porno-Chic Cultures.- 7. Conclusions - Realia and Utopia.
About the author
Karl Kaser has been full professor of Southeastern European history and anthropology at the University of Graz, Austria, since 1996. His research focuses, among other topics, on gender relations and visual cultures. His most recent monographs are 'Religion and Visual Cultures' (2013, Ger) and 'Hollywood in the Balkans' (2018, Ger).
Report
"Kaser's book is a tool for feminism and the much-needed continued struggle for gender equality. Taking a comparative approach, he brilliantly explains recent developments and regressions of the role and place of women in society, and what this has meant for gender relations, for masculinities and femininities. ... indeed for all those interested in the complexity of gender relations." (Antoine Dutreuilh, Comparative Southeast European Studies, Vol. 72 (3), 2024)
