UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

The politics of reproduction: abortion and authority in Soviet cinema

Morley, R; Carlyle, S; (2020) The politics of reproduction: abortion and authority in Soviet cinema. In: Bardazzi, A and Bazzoni, A, (eds.) Gender and authority across disciplines, space and time. (pp. 243-270). Palgrave Macmillan: London, UK. Green open access

[thumbnail of Morley_Carlyle and Morley final format 18_11_19.pdf]
Preview
Text
Morley_Carlyle and Morley final format 18_11_19.pdf

Download (594kB) | Preview

Abstract

In the Soviet period, state policy on abortion underwent three significant changes: legalization in 1920, banning in 1936 and re-legalization in 1955. With reproduction and motherhood considered state concerns, the female body, and in particular the pregnant female body, became a key site for the promotion of the authorities’ socio-ideological agendas. Given the Soviet state’s appropriation of cinema as a tool for education and propaganda, these issues were often addressed on screen. This chapter provides a critical overview of the representation of abortion in films made between the early-Soviet 1920s and the Brezhnevite 1980s and assesses the extent to which Soviet cinema reflects, or actively promotes, the bio-political authority of the state. Considering the films in their socio-ideological contexts, the chapter examines their treatment of different types of authority and asks whether Soviet film-makers sought to challenge prevailing socio-ideological stances on abortion, female autonomy and gendered structures of authority.

Type: Book chapter
Title: The politics of reproduction: abortion and authority in Soviet cinema
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-45160-8
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45160-8_12
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > SSEES
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10086847
Downloads since deposit
46Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item