History of Ukraine

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Chubina T.D. (Cherkasy City)

GENDER HYSTORY: PARADIGM SHIFT

Paradigm shift of the social history has led to the renewal of its theoretical and methodological apparatus and expanding of studies subject field which, in its turn, intensified formation of individual sub-disciplines and gender history in particular.

Gender – is a complex socio-cultural construct that reflects differences in the roles, behavior, mental and emotional characteristics between men and women. Within this approach gender is understood as an organized model of social relations between women and men which not only characterize their communication and interaction within the family, but also determines their social relations in the basic institutions of society. Thus, gender is treated as one of the basic parameters of a social structure which organizes a social system together with other socio-demographic and cultural characteristics (race, class, age). Social reproduction of gender consciousness at the level of individuals supports gender-based social structure. Individuals ascertain gender differences and, at the same time, systems of domination and leadership determined by them implementing expectations associated with gender status in their actions. In many societies women and men are not only differently recognized, but also estimated, justifying this by gender characteristics and differences in their abilities, distinction in distribution of power between them. Gender is constructed through a system of socialization, distribution of labor and existing cultural norms, roles and stereotypes. To some extent, they determine psychological characteristics, abilities, activities, professional occupations depending on their biological sex. Though, gender roles and norms are not of universal content and vary considerably in societies. In this sense, being a man or a woman does not mean possessing certain natural qualities but performing a specific role. In current social and human studies gender is used not as an immutable and universal structure. The gender concept means not a thing or an object, not a number of things or objects but a complex network of relationships and processes.

The late 1960's in Europe and the USA are marked by the rapid development of new research areas called "Women's Studies" (French – etudes féministes, Polish – feminologia). Using the opportunity it should be noted that development of this domain of research took place within many human sciences (social psychology, sociology, social anthropology, linguistics, literary studies, etc.). Its main theoretical and methodological framework is presented in numerous publications. Emergence of collective works and special thematic issues of professional periodicals devoted to the proper range of issues as well as introduction of special courses of study in some educational establishments in Europe and the USA has become the sign of recognition of woman's studies research "validity" by the academic environment.

Within ethnology (cultural anthropology) woman's studies developed on the basis of cultural construction of femininity methods research, family structure analysis and sexual division of labor. Woman's studies are focused on special exploration of different expression forms of the female component, its place, role, importance in all spheres of life: social structures and processes, mindset, economic and manufacturing areas, art, literature, etc. Though, initially they were based on epistemological judgment of andro-centralism of the scientific thought, which found its place in works of descriptive and theoretical nature and others.

Nowadays, woman's studies have taken the rightful place in the system of scientific knowledge. In 1991 publication of the fundamental five-volume monographic study "History of Women in the West" totaling about 3000 pages evidenced respect for the comprehensive study of the problem of "a woman in the history of culture".

Woman's studies in Ukraine are at embryonic level, though in the late XIX – early XX century basic ideas of the Ukrainian feminism established by O. Pchilka, N. Kobrynska, L. Ukrainka, O. Kobylianska, L. Janowska found their development in the activity of the women's club "Club Rusynok", the society "Kruzhok Ukrayinskyh Divchat" and a later-created national organization "Zhinocha Hromada" in 1906. However, artificially interrupted tradition of women's studies in Ukraine for a long time, basic ideas of feminism distorted by communist ideology and discredited by socialist practice were the main factors of this research area decline in Ukraine. The usual underestimation of the research value into the topic of female subjects within academia, bringing research to the level of individual amateur journalistic investigations, further complicated the situation converting Ukrainians into outsiders of the world scientific process in this very important area.

In recent years interest to woman's studies in the scientific community is growing. Development of training courses on gender issues and teaching them in higher education institutions are important, unequivocal and decisive steps towards the recognition of woman's studies in academic environment as an independent branch of the human studies and significant element of comprehensive education in the humanities.

A woman holds a prominent place both in history and at present. However, as gender and woman's studies are focused mostly in the plane of studying the history of the women's movement, feminist ideas in Ukraine and the role of a Ukrainian woman in history they still are of a little bit one-sided and fragmented nature.

A female image is primarily observed as mythopoetic. She is Eve who brought the mankind to the Fall, Amazon – a female warrior and even a witch – master of magical knowledge. However, literature and art make great efforts to destroy the established image giving it a "glamorous" content.

Through the millennia there still remain the following holy female characters: the domestic goddess, the mother, the continuer of the human kind. Not surprisingly, when it comes to a woman a cultural stereotype is triggered. But we can't avoid the images of the women who changed the course of historical events, embraved the men and inspired madness, made people believe in the power of female beauty and intelligence, claimed a woman to be great power and the God sent.

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