In his dissertation, Daniil Zhaivoronok explores the complex and fascinating world of digital feminist activism in contemporary Russia. Drawing on a diverse body of material, including interviews with activists of the Feminist Anti-War Resistance movement and professional journalists, digital ethnography, and media content, the research examines different forms of feminist political organizing and cultural production in the country. By analysing feminist engagement with digital media under conditions of authoritarianism, the conservative turn, and the ongoing war against Ukraine, the dissertation offers a nuanced account of the challenges and contradictions shaping contemporary feminist politics. It demonstrates how digital technologies both expand the possibilities for feminist political action and imagination and impose new constraints upon them. The dissertation offers an innovative contribution to the study of feminism in Russia and will be of interest to scholars and broader audience concerned with feminist research, contemporary activism and politics, Russian society and culture, and the broader challenges and transformations of our digital age.
The doctoral dissertation titled Digitalisation and Feminist Media Practices in Contemporary Russia by MA Daniil Zhaivoronok will be publicly examined in the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences at Tampere University on 26.11.2026. The dissertation is in the field of Russian language and culture.
The Opponent will be Associate Professor Yulia Gradskova from the Södertörn University in Sweden. The Custos will be Docent Saara Ratilainen.