Biopolitical Conservatism: Identity-Making Projects in Poland and Russia vis-à-vis gender and sexuality
Author
Löhlein, Alena
Term
4. term
Publication year
2020
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan regeringspartierne i Polen (PiS) og Rusland (Det Forenede Rusland) anvender biopolitiske mekanismer til at forme nationale identitetsprojekter med fokus på køn og seksualitet. Udgangspunktet er den nylige konservative drejning, hvor statslig retorik og lovgivning omdefinerer grænserne for det politiske fællesskab og udvider statens kontrol til privatlivet. Med en casestudie-tilgang og indholdsanalyse af udvalgte love og restriktioner indført siden 2015 i Polen og siden 2012 i Rusland, og med teoretiske perspektiver fra nationalisme, liberal nationalisme, menneskerettigheder og biopolitik, viser studiet, at begge regeringer bruger juridiske instrumenter, der marginaliserer LGBT-miljøer og begrænser kvinders adgang til sikre aborter. Tiltagene forstærker eksisterende konservative strømninger og, i Polen, sammenfalder med den katolske kirkes indflydelse; i Rusland præsenteres de som sikring af seksuel suverænitet over for liberale vestlige værdier. Afhandlingen skitserer desuden partiernes fremkomst og profiler og drøfter konsekvenserne for internationale menneskerettighedsnormer.
This thesis examines how the ruling parties in Poland (PiS) and Russia (United Russia) use biopolitical mechanisms to shape national identity projects focused on gender and sexuality. It situates this inquiry within a broader conservative turn in which state rhetoric and lawmaking redefine the boundaries of the political community and extend state control into private life. Using a case study design and content analysis of selected laws and restrictions adopted since 2015 in Poland and since 2012 in Russia, and drawing on theories of nationalism, liberal nationalism, human rights, and biopolitics, the study finds that both governments deploy legal instruments that marginalize LGBT communities and limit women’s access to safe abortion. These measures reinforce existing conservative social currents and, in Poland, align with the influence of the Catholic Church; in Russia, they are framed as asserting sexual sovereignty against liberal Western values. The thesis also outlines the emergence and profiles of PiS and United Russia and discusses the implications of these policies for international human rights norms.
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