Hello again: a hundred years old feminist texts
This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the October Revolution. - one of the main events of Russian history. It is also an important milestone in the struggle for women's rights: in 1917 women received the right to vote and the opportunity to participate in elections to the Constituent Assembly, and in 1918 the Constitution of the RSFSR was adopted, which enshrined the legal equality of men and women.
One hundred years later, a group of Russian feminists — Ekaterina Kochergina, Oksana Vasyakina, Anna Nizhnik, Oksana Kitashova, Nastasya Som, Ekaterina Bakhrenkova, Marina Vinnik, Sasha Lavrova, Zhanna Dolgova, Uliana Bychenkova — decided how the position of Russian women had changed over the course of a hundred years. On the motives of the samizdat seminar held in Moscow in March, the zine "March 1917-2017" was made. It includes the texts of women revolutionaries, created in the early twentieth century, and the comments of modern feminists to them - as well as new works created on the basis of classical texts. After a hundred years, it becomes clear that modern feminists still have something to fight for - and Russian women face the same problems as at the beginning of the last century. We present excerpts from some of the documents included in the magazine, and it will be possible to get a zine and read the comments of modern feminists at the Moscow branch of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.
"A few words about feminism"
ANNA KALMANOVICH, 1907
Consciously or unfamiliar with the subject, the opponents and opponents of the women's liberation movement portray it as a struggle directed against men, mostly imagining something like an armed uprising, the war of the Amazons under the women's movement. And supporters of the movement who have the courage to loudly declare that the freedom of a woman, like all citizens, is always timely, that it is impossible to put forward the rights of one part of the population to the detriment of another, these opponents declare "pure feminists", thinking that they are something something understood.
It is time, finally, to understand that the women's movement is not aimed at fighting with men, but at organizing women, at mobilizing a whole half of the inert population to fight prejudice, it doesn’t matter who their carriers are, male or female; in the fight against the one-sided male structure of society, rightly believing that the time of the pariahs, the time of working voiceless beings has passed and that every rational adult person working for the common good has the right to participate in the affairs of society and the state.
Women are striving for this, both in the interests of themselves and in the interests of their sons and brothers, for the life and happiness of which they consider their duty to fight as much as the best of men. And the women's movement sees its ultimate goal in equality. He needs it as a means to carry out truth and justice in human relations.
Those of the opponents who are not afraid of female conquest, solve the issue even easier. They refer to the natural duties of a woman, forgetting that duties themselves are also conditional on rights. "How will women giving birth, nursing, sick, etc., cope with their social responsibilities?" It's amazing how worried opponents of women's equality are that women cannot exercise their rights!
"How women should fight prostitution"
MARIA POKROVSKAYA, 1908
The issue of the struggle for women's equality is closely related to the issue of combating prostitution. The reduction of prostitution is a step forward along the path of equality, the reduction of the lack of power of women reduces prostitution ...
... in the fight against prostitution, it is necessary to solve not only economic issues, but also gender issues ... But the solution of economic issues is, although important, but of secondary importance ...
Due to the domination of one sex over the other in modern societies, there is an unequal view of the sexual needs of men and women. Satisfaction of the sexual instinct of the first is recognized as so necessary that they are granted the right to satisfy him as it was necessary. Women are also required to satisfy their instinct only in marriage. In accordance with this view of sexual morality, both sexes are being educated ...
Excessively developed and unbridled sexual instinct encourages men to constantly commit a physiological and moral crime not punishable by law, satisfaction of sexual need with prostitution, and a physiological moral crime punishable by law, rape of women, girls and even girls ...
Education and public opinion have curbed sexual instinct in women. The same methods should be applied to curb sexual instinct in men. The main role should be played by women here ... The same sexual morality for men and women is what women who want to destroy prostitution should demand ...
One of the most important tasks of mothers is the education of noble character traits in children. They should instill in their son that there is no excuse for a person who treats another person as an animal, without any respect for his human dignity, that such an attitude is an outrage against a person ...
If at home a mother can bring up a nobility in a child, if she can choose the best school for her son, what can she do for him in everyday slough? ... But this does not mean that women have to fold their arms and submit to all that he meets in life. On the contrary, they must come together for an energetic struggle with the conditions of life that awaken the beast in a young man. That which individual individuals cannot change, will be destroyed by the masses ...
The issue of combating pornography and spectacles is a matter of legislation for the most part ... But for a real fight against pornography, women need legislative rights ...
Authors investigating the causes pushing women into prostitution indicate poverty, ignorance and the bad education of young girls. It cannot be denied that these reasons often cause them to indulge in prostitution. Therefore, it is necessary to attend to a wide statement of women's education, improvement in the upbringing of female youth and its economic status ...
In 1889, a census of supervised prostitutes was conducted in Russia ... of these, 45 percent were servants before. We find a huge percentage of prostitutes from among former servants abroad.
This kind of data shows how abnormal the situation of our domestic workers is. In it, as well as in prostitutes, is reflected brightly female powerlessness. What is our personal servant? This is a slave, over whom everybody mocks in every possible way. Her working day is completely left to the arbitrariness of the owners ...
"Self-consciousness of a woman as a factor in the renewal of the social system"
SERAPHIM ISPOLATOV, (IN REDUCTION), 1908
Self-consciousness is the separation of one’s true, natural “I” from the artificial, by the laws and traditions of the imposed “I”; therefore, the first step towards self-awareness is the possible liberation of our thought from the influence of authorities, dogmas, traditions, prejudices, public opinion, etc.
The one who undertakes to be faithful to any idea or program, authority or dogma, he thereby undertakes not to think for himself, he does not strive to reach self-consciousness, to which only a thought leads, independent of all this oppression.
Is woman aware of herself? This question has yet to be answered negatively. Men's laws and the social system that follows from them all imposed a whole network of prohibitions on it. From the cradle to the grave, she is continuously in an environment hostile to her desire for independence. Since childhood, she has been inspired to believe in the boy's superiority over the girl, the man over the woman; she hears that masculinity is a virtue, femininity is something vague, weak, limited, narrow.
Due to the directing influence of male laws, so far only one man has determined the properties of both his and her female character. It is not surprising that with such a one-sided definition, all virtues were on the side of men. Even the predominance of physical strength is put in his merit.
Naturally, in such a situation, the meaning of many words, such as "mind", "logic", was defined from a purely masculine point of view: the male mind, the male logic - the concepts are positive, the words "female mind", "female logic" are used unless in mockery. In the whole story, right up to the present day, the words “man”, “human rights” are understood to mean man, men's rights, and the word “universal” refers only to men; but the word "fallen" refers exclusively to a woman. Fallen men do not happen.
"Jealousy, its causes and possible remedy against it"
EMMA GOLDMAN, 1912
In the past, when men and women joined together freely without the intervention of law and morality, there could be no jealousy because it is based on the assumption that a certain man has a sexual monopoly on a certain woman and vice versa. At that moment, when someone tries to violate this sacred institution, jealousy raises its head. In these circumstances, it is simply ridiculous to say that jealousy is absolutely natural. In fact, this is an artificial result of an artificial cause and nothing more.
A man or woman who is sufficiently free and generous in order not to interfere in the life of another or make a fuss about the other attachments of those whom they love will most likely be hated by their conservatives and ridiculed by their radical friends. They will be declared either degenerates or cowards, and often petty material motives will be attributed to their behavior. In any case, these men and women will be targeted for obscene rumors and dirty jokes simply on the basis that they recognize their wife, husband or lover to their own body and emotional expression without making jealousy scenes or making wild threats to kill the offender. .
There are other factors in jealousy: self-conceit of a man and envy of a woman. In sexual matters, the man is a braggart, a cheat who always boasts of his victories and success with women. He insists that he plays the role of an invader, because he was told that women want to be conquered, that they like being seduced. Feeling like a single rooster in a chicken coop or a bull that must use horns to conquer a cow, he feels mortally wounded in his self-conceit and arrogance at the moment when an opponent appears on the scene - the scene in this case, even for so-called sophisticated men, is a woman's sexual affection, which should have only one master.
In other words, the threat of a man’s sexual monopoly and his heated vanity in ninety-nine percent of cases are the cause of jealousy. In the case of a woman, economic fear for herself and her children, as well as petty envy towards any other woman who receives attention in the eyes of her owner, invariably causes jealousy. We must pay tribute to the woman, over the past centuries, physical attractiveness was her only asset, so she should envy the beauty and values of other women, because they threaten her control over valuable property.
The grotesque aspect of this is that men and women often become aggressively jealous of those whom they really do not care. Therefore, it is not their angry love, but their angry stupidity and envy cry out against this "terrible injustice." Most likely, the woman never loved the one she suspects and spies for. Most likely, she never made an effort to keep his love. But the moment a competitor appears, she begins to value her sexual property, for which protection no means are unsightly or too cruel.
Therefore, it is obvious that jealousy is not a consequence of love. In fact, if it were realistic to study the majority of cases of jealousy, it would probably be found out that the less people are inspired by great love, the more aggressive and disgusting their jealousy. Two people, bound by inner harmony and unity, are not afraid to destroy mutual trust and security if one of them has interests on the side. Their relationship will not end in terrible hostility, as is often the case with people.
"Ideals of the future"
OLGA SHAPIR, 1908
It's time for us to stop being ashamed of ourselves. This was understandable as long as the struggle was fought for random partial concessions from male monopolies that were not yet shaken, but this should have no place in the question of personal rights granted by the very name of a person. It’s time to stop proving that she can be exactly the same as he is, no! First of all, it must be itself and must make every effort to develop its own individual capabilities. And then the merging of two differing psyche in the friendly construction of life creates for the first time that common, which should be our ideal. Not to subordinate or bow down, but to complement and moderate one another in the creative synthesis of two forces.
It’s too early to dream about it, but we must already understand and want it.
So, in front of the modern woman in her great struggle, a dual goal is outlined. It takes all the tension of will, mind and labor in order to move along the path of partial real conquests, but even more conscious efforts are required to work on spiritual emancipation. Intimate victories over internal obstacles are needed in order for the release of the woman’s mental forces to take place out of the bondage with special goals of physical nature that, once triumphant, created the soil for the historical enslavement of half of humanity. It is necessary to reduce a long and complicated account with the cruel work of the ages! But do not deny it, no! On the contrary, to fully understand and look for ways for a different, independent self-determination. And for the same free and sober ratings.
We must believe that the woman is mature enough to consciously and relentlessly strive for an imbalance of her own balance. Only in this the guarantee of complete victory.
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