Historian Daniil Kotsiubinsky and sociologist Zhanna Chernova will find out if modern people need gender roles

In the St. Petersburg art space mArs (Marsovo Pole, 3) on Friday, February 17, at 19:00, a regular meeting of the Discussion Club of Daniil Kotsiubinsky “Why is everything wrong?” will take place.

This time, the presenter will enter into a constructive debate about whether modern people need gender roles with Zhanna Chernova, a researcher on gender issues, Doctor of Sociology, Professor at the Department of Sociology at the European University at St. Petersburg.

Does it help people to live and be happy realizing that, as it is sung in Alexander Dolsky’s chanson, composed back in 1964, “We are mercilessly divided into women and men.”

Or is the lyricist wrong, and in fact we have split into an infinitely greater number of gender identities? And there is a kind of “third in the period” gender, exactly the same psychologically and biologically “mercilessly ordinary” as M and F sung in the bard song?

But if so, then what about the main postulate of the greatest philosopher and ethnologist of the 20th century, the creator of structural anthropology, Claude Levi-Strauss, who believed that a person learns to think and becomes a person solely on the basis of the so-called binary oppositions. Such as: life – death, sky – earth, sun – moon, day – night, fire – water, animal – man, elder – younger, friend – stranger, happiness – misfortune, right – left, light – dark. And perhaps the earliest and most important for a person is the opposition “boy – girl”, “man – woman”.

Levi-Strauss specifically emphasized that the binary-oppositional type of thinking persists at all stages of human history. And he argued that the thinking of a highly educated modern city dweller in this regard does not despair of the thinking of any illiterate native from the jungle, savannas, forest tundra, etc.

However, if today’s opponents of the “gender binary” asked Levi-Strauss a question about the “third field”, I’m sure the scientist would easily explain that the phenomenon of transgenderism does not negate his universal binary-opposition concept.

However, this dispute is not only academic. It has long since become cultural and normative, that is, essentially ethical and political. And today it concerns not only doctors, sociologists and other humanitarians, but also people who consider themselves “non-binary”. For some time now, the discussion about gender non-binary has begun to affect – both informationally and socially and normatively – essentially everyone and everyone.

Does the official recognition of the “third sex” mean that male and female roles in modern society are exactly the same anachronism as kokoshniks and kosovorotkas, or hennes of beautiful ladies and shameful capsules of their faithful knights?

Does the recognition of “gender and sexual nonbinarity” mean that instilling in boys “chivalric morality”, “chivalrous attitude towards girls and ladies” today is pouring water on the mill of reactionary patriarchy and church obscurantism?

Should a modern man open the door for a lady and let her in? Should he strive to pay for a joint dinner in a cafe, without having in mind at the same time that the lady owes him something in the end? Can he, barely touching his wrist with his lips, kiss a lady’s hand at a meeting – or is he obliged to tightly squeeze her hand in a sweaty, comradely handshake? Should I immediately protect any lady from public insults? Or can he stand up only for the “ideologically close”, and it doesn’t matter at all whether the lady is or not? Can a modern, well-bred man give flowers to a lady “just because”, and not necessarily for a birthday or a dissertation defense?

Or can a lady do all this with the same success – in relation to a man, without fear of seeming ridiculous?

Should a man be embarrassed to cry if he was offended, and a woman, on the contrary, should she do it freely and openly?

Can a girl be the first to publicly court a young man, without risking in this case seeming not only obsessive, but also unhappy?

Should a boy protect a girl in case of danger? Or should the one who is physically and morally stronger defend himself from the attack, covering the weaker one – no matter what gender he is? And how should others react (even if only inside themselves, and not out loud) when they see how a weak man hides behind a woman’s back in a situation of danger?

Should parents explain to children what their “male” or, on the contrary, “female” social role mission is, confirming the words with their own behavior?

Should a man, coming home, find himself in the female territory of happiness and comfort, or should strict reciprocity of house management reign in the house?

You can, of course, say: let anyone behave as he wants, so long as no one “gets” or “torments” anyone!

So it is. But the questions asked do not disappear. Should there be such norms of behavior for men and women in the family and society that are considered exemplary or simply “normal”, while others will be recognized as exceptional and requiring special explanations and comments? Is it permissible to encourage people to do the right things with the phrases: “Well, you are still a boy / man! ..” or “Well, you are a girl / girl / woman after all! ..”?

The guests of Kvartirnik will find out the answers to these and many other questions.

Tickets for the event can be purchased on TimePad or at the box office before the event.