Taking Putin’s jokes seriously

What does gender-based humor tell us about Russia’s ontological insecurity, masculinity, and construction of gendered hierarchies

Bibliographic Data

ID6428890
AuthorsEkaterina Donskikh (0000-0001-5214-3167, University of Oslo, corresponding author), Sergei Akopov (0000-0002-8883-4856, Freie Universität)
Year2024
Volume27
Issue1
Pages152-174
Publication date2024-10-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Feminist Journal of Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1461-6742 • E-ISSN: 1468-4470
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14616742.2024.2400946
OpenAlexW4403199617
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited56

The article analyzes President Vladimir Putin’s gender-based humor as a way of exploring Russia’s ontological insecurity. Our research explores how Russia’s masculine ontological insecurities are trapped in the realities of patriarchy challenged in a contemporary globalized world. We integrate a constructivist ontology with poststructuralist attention to language to understand the role of gender-based humor in the (re)production of gendered hierarchies, and therefore in sustaining Russia’s ontological security. To achieve our goal, we examined 29 videos of Putin’s speeches broadcast between 2012 and 2022 through the lenses of “feminization” and “masculinization.” The study concludes that it is necessary to take political humor seriously. Its deployment helps Putin to maintain a consistent narrative of Russian self-identity based on associations with masculinity and the feminization of the Russian nation and its foes in the eyes of a conservative segment of the Russian populous. Ultimately, such humor aims to alleviate feelings of insecurity and anxiety, maintaining a heteronormative gendered order in Russian foreign affairs

Masculinity · Political science · Sociology · Gender Studies · Humor Studies and Applications · Leadership, Courage, and Heroism Studies

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