Unequal under Socialism: Race, Women, and Transnationalism in Bulgaria

Unequal under Socialism explores how racial, gender, and national identities and relations are formed in the socialist state, with a focus on Bulgaria. It highlights the experiences of Roma women, Muslim women, ethnic Bulgarian women, sex workers, and female factory and office workers, who were marked by socialist authorities for prosperity, accommodation, violent reformation, or erasure. The book questions the capacity of socialism to sustain societies where all women prosper and suggests that this doubt is an under-recognized force shaping women's relationships in former socialist countries and the global North and South.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 218 pages
\n Publication date: 06 September 2021
\n Publisher: University of Toronto Press
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Unequal under Socialism delves into the intricate dynamics of racial, gender, and national identities and their relations within the socialist state. Focusing on Bulgaria, a former socialist country in the Balkans, Miglena S. Todorova explores the complex interplay of local and global forces that shaped racialization, socialist state policies, and Eurocentric Marxist and Leninist ideologies. These ideologies resulted in the creation of both valued and devalued categories of women. Roma women, Muslim women, ethnic Bulgarian women, sex workers, and female factory and office workers were among those targeted by socialist authorities for prosperity, accommodation, violent reformation, or erasure. Spanning from the 1930s to the present, Unequal under Socialism employs original archival sources and a diverse range of critical theories to examine the lives of various women. Through this lens, the book raises profound doubts about the ability of socialism to foster societies where all women thrive. This doubt, while under-recognized, holds significant importance in shaping the relationships between women in former socialist countries and their counterparts in the global North and South.

Unequal under Socialism delves into the intricate dynamics of racial, gender, and national identities and their relations within the socialist state. Focusing on Bulgaria, a former socialist country in the Balkans, Miglena S. Todorova explores the complex interplay of local and global forces that shaped racialization, socialist state policies, and Eurocentric Marxist and Leninist ideologies. These ideologies resulted in the creation of both valued and devalued categories of women. Roma women, Muslim women, ethnic Bulgarian women, sex workers, and female factory and office workers were among those targeted by socialist authorities for prosperity, accommodation, violent reformation, or erasure. Spanning from the 1930s to the present, Unequal under Socialism employs original archival sources and a diverse range of critical theories to examine the lives of various women. Through this lens, the book raises profound doubts about the ability of socialism to foster societies where all women thrive. This doubt, while under-recognized, holds significant importance in shaping the relationships between women in former socialist countries and their counterparts in the global North and South.

\n Weight: 350g\n
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 18 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781487528416\n \n