Papers by Rebeka Põldsam
NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 2023
In this article, we study the emergence of gay, lesbian and trans community organizing in 1989–19... more In this article, we study the emergence of gay, lesbian and trans community organizing in 1989–1994 in Estonia. During the post-Soviet transition period, issues of human rights and democracy were actively debated both in Estonia and internationally. Using the fragmentary material that we have gathered from media, archives and interviews, we try to reconstruct a narrative of events and public debate on AIDS, homosexuality, and gender transitions in Soviet Estonia that led to the formation of the LGBT community. We frame this homosexual and transgender emancipation with Juri Lotman’s model of explosion that allows us to view how in specific historical circumstances seemingly opposing discourses of national emancipation and LGBT emancipation could emerge without conflict. The international community of LGBT organizations supported the first Estonian activists by funding their training, large-scale activities and community building. While the transition period saw a discursive explosion that opened the public debate to sexual and gender minorities, the new Estonian political elite dismissed these minorities as alien to their nation-building project. In the second half of the 1990s gay and lesbian activism was professionalized, and trans advocacy achieved an official legal gender recognition regulation.
NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research
Sexualities
This article examines the affective entanglements and queer/ed intimacies in post-Soviet Estonia ... more This article examines the affective entanglements and queer/ed intimacies in post-Soviet Estonia by analyzing ethnographic fieldwork. To build an intersectionally engaged analysis, the article employs Karen Barad’s agential realist model of intra-actions to show how intimate relationships are tied to socio-economic status and cultural setting. In Estonia, intimacy is framed by a homophobic discourse that erases anything but heteronormativity. This public erasure produces, on the one hand, moral panics and, on the other hand, affectively complex intimate entanglements among queer/ed subjects. The empirical analysis discusses conversations with five straight and queer women that contain rich affective narratives. It investigates how a person’s economic situation relates to their intimate relationship choice in a social sphere that is dominated by nationalist discourse and neoliberal rationality. This has created contradictory affective responses that are unpacked and contextualized in...
Mäetagused
Uurin artiklis seksuaal-ja soovähemuste representatsioone 1920.-1930. aastate Eesti trükimeedias,... more Uurin artiklis seksuaal-ja soovähemuste representatsioone 1920.-1930. aastate Eesti trükimeedias, et paremini mõista, mida tähendas soolisus sõdadevahelises Eestis ja kuidas see väljendus. Leitud allikates kostab marginaliseeritud inimeste endi häält harva ning paljud soolisuse mitmekesisust puudutavad mõisted olid sel perioodil defineerimata. See tekitab tänapäeva ja sõdadevahelise perioodi vahele epistemoloogilise lõhe, mida püüan artikliga leevendada. Seepärast annan artikli alguses ülevaate senisest Eesti LGBTQI+ ajaloo uurimisest, et näha seksuaalsust puudutavate mõistete kujunemist eri perioodidel. Seejärel kaardistan kahe sõja vahel Eestis seksuaal-ja soovähemuste kohta ilmunud ajakirjanduslikke ja teadusartikleid, mis juhatavad sisse juhtumiuuringu nn meesnaisest A. Oinatskist, kes oli selle perioodi kõige erinevamal viisil ja sagedamini kajastatud kväär inimene Eestis. Fragmentaarsete allikmaterjalide struktureerimiseks ja eritlemiseks tutvustan ja kasutan feministliku teoreetiku Karen Baradi agentse realismi mudelit, mille abil vaatan seksuaalvähemusi puudutava diskursuse näiteid ning lõpuks vaatlen, kuidas eugeenika liikumine mõjutas soolisuse ja seksuaalsuse kujutamist ja mõtestamist sõdadevahelise Eesti avalikes aruteludes.
Mäetagused, 2020
Looking for queer stories from interwar Estonian media: The position of eugenics in discussions a... more Looking for queer stories from interwar Estonian media: The position of eugenics in discussions about homosexuality and transgender issues.
In order to build a better understanding of what sexuality meant in interwar Estonia and how it was expressed, this article focuses on representations of sexual and gender minorities in the Estonian printed media of the 1920s–1930s. On the one hand, seldom if ever, I found immediate voices of the marginalised people in focus, while on the other hand, many of the terms to describe sexual diversity were in the process of being articulated or had not been defined by that time. This lack of definitions, however, cre- ates an epistemological gap between the present day and the interwar period, which I am aiming to reduce with this article. Hence, in order to demonstrate the development of sexuality-related terminology through time, I start with a brief survey of Estonian LGBTQI+ historiography. Next, I map the journalistic and scientific articles on sex and gender minorities in interwar Estonia. Finally, I present a case study of a so-called male-woman A. Oinatski, who was the most frequently and diversely portrayed queer person in Estonia during the interwar era. To systematize and differentiate the found fragmented sources, I apply feminist theorist Karen Barad’s model of agential realism, which helps to notice nuanced relationships between various examples of discourse around sexual minorities during the interwar era. Finally, I look at how the eugenics movement influenced the depictions and concepts of sex and gender in the public discus- sions held in interwar Estonia.
Anu Põder (1947–2013) was one of the most significant and fascinating artists of contemporary Est... more Anu Põder (1947–2013) was one of the most significant and fascinating artists of contemporary Estonian sculpture and installation art. Her career began in the 1970s and continued actively until the 2000s. Most of her work dealt with family life, internal struggles and the emotional realm, framed by the constraining norms and taboos of post-/Soviet society. In contrast to her contemporary peers, Põder worked with ephemeral materials: textile, wax, plaster, soap, glue, plastic and wood. Most of the works set herself as a measure of the human experience and it could be said that her pieces even age like humans: they change colour, become deformed, disintegrate, and overall, their initial fragile nature becomes increasingly apparent and vivid over time. Throughout years, she supported her artistic practice by teaching at art schools, where she was widely beloved and is remembered by many contemporary artists of today.
Normal noughts : perspectives on Estonian art of the 2000s, 2019
The second decade after Estonia regained its independence – 2000–2010 – was a time political free... more The second decade after Estonia regained its independence – 2000–2010 – was a time political freedom, sovereignty and civic rights started seeming like the norm. It was also an era of attempts to find deeper meaning for rights and liberties. In parallel, a distinctly defined political establishment and its ideological positions took shape. The feminist issues, advocacy and gender equality ideology that sporadically popped up in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the winds of change had, by the end of the 2000s, in its own marginal way, taken root in society – Estonia now had a few state institutions (the Gender Equality and Equal Treatment Commissioner and Gender Equality Department in the Ministry of Social Affairs, some gender studies courses in universities, gender researchers, a few feminists in the cultural media and one gender research journal, Ariadne Lõng (Ariadne’s Thread). Although progress has been made in the public media and polit- ical discourse – the matter of the gender wage gap and disproportionately low representation of women in Parliament have become legitimate and serious topics in mainstream media publications and policy – there is still no broader female or male movement that is able to positively involve the broader public and take a strong stance against gender-specific inequality and in favour of equal rights. The feminist gender perspective still carries a negative emotional connotation in Estonia both in the academic sphere and in politics.
To what degree is the feminist position accepted and embraced in Estonian art of the 2000s? Who were the ones to create art proceeding from a feministic and/or gender-conscious position, and how? How sensi- tive, aware, well-thought-out or comparable to Western trends is the message sent out by works loaded with political demands or aspirations by artists who deal with gender issues in Estonia, whether the works aspire to greater freedom and emancipation or are just focused on sounding a critique?
Bakalaureusetöö, 2011
Eesti kunstiajalookirjutus pole seksuaalvähemuste representatsioone kunstis seni süstemaatiliselt... more Eesti kunstiajalookirjutus pole seksuaalvähemuste representatsioone kunstis seni süstemaatiliselt uurinud, seega on käesoleva bakalaureuse töö eesmärk kaardistada seksuaalvähemuste representatsioone Eesti kaasaegses kunstis alates vabariigi taasiseseisvumisest.
Uurimus jaotub temaatiliselt kaheks: geisensibiilne kunst, mis jääb peamiselt 1990. aastatesse, ning seksuaalvähemuste identiteedipoliitiline kunst, mis kerkib esile 2000. aastatel kunsti sotsiaalsemaks muutumisega. Geisensibiilne kunst kasutab vihjelist märgikeelt, mis on levinud geisubkultuuris ning keskendub peamiselt kehale, mängides sealjuures soolisuse ja seksuaalsuse normatiivide piiridega. Identiteedipoliitiline seksuaalvähemusi representeeriv kunst lähtub kaasaegsetest queer-teooriatest ning käsitleb seksuaalvähemuste sotsiaalseid probleeme isiklikus ja avalikus ruumis.
Üks võtmesõnu käesolevas uurimuses ongi queer, millele eesti keeles otsest vastet pole. Kasutan sõna queer katusmõistena rääkides lesbidest, geidest, biseksuaalidest, transvestiitidest ja transsoolistest, queeridest või interseksuaalsetest (LGBTQI). Queer on inglise keeles korraga verb, nimi- ja omadussõna, mis algselt tähendas mittesobivat, hiljem “pede”. Queer pole lihtsalt gei või lesbi, kuigi ka nemad võivad olla queerid, praegusel ajal kasutatakse terminit queer ka uue soolise positsioneeringu või identiteedi kohta, mis hõlmab ni homo- kui heteroseksuaalset orientatsiooni. Tänapäevane teoreeriline termin queer ja queer-teooria kannavad oma suhteliselt lühikese ajaloo tõttu jätkuvalt radikaalse erinemise tähendust, olles tööriistaks, mille abil dekonstrueerida mehe ja naise, sotsiaalse ja bioloogilise soo (gender/sex) dihhotoomiate normatiivsust igapäeva mõtlemises.
MA dissertation, 2012
Since the millennium, there has been an increasing amount of art dealing with social issues of se... more Since the millennium, there has been an increasing amount of art dealing with social issues of sexual minorities produced in CEE. This essay will analyze queer art practices in Eastern Europe focusing on three particular case-studies, that characterize the emergence of queer theory in Eastern European art and socio-political context. I will start by a brief analysis of Queer Stickers Collection (2011) from Tallinn, Estonia, which is trying to introduce queer theory and movement to Estonian linguistic and cultural context. It opens up a variety of issues, I wish to analyze also in the other two cases, concerning cultural and historical translation and synchronization of different culture-scapes. My second case-study is the curatorial practice of Pawel Leszkowicz, who tries to synchronize queer theory into Polish context by exhibiting male-nudes. The third case-study will look at the artistic practice of queer (im)migrant Ana Hoffner, who is highly critical of transferring Western historical strategies into Eastern European context. Both Leszkowicz's and Hoffner's positions emanate from the similar position of living in two countries: a initial homeland in CEE and the second home respectively in the UK and in Austria, i.e. Western Europe.
Interviews, roundtable discussions by Rebeka Põldsam
Working with Feminism: Curating and Exhibitions in Eastern Europe. Ed K. Kivimaa. Tallinn University Press, 2012, 2012
In May–June 2011, Tallinn Art Hall hosted a significant event in the history of exhibitions in Es... more In May–June 2011, Tallinn Art Hall hosted a significant event in the history of exhibitions in Estonia – the first ever international group exhibition, dedicated to the issues of sexual minorities and present- ing queer art.1 The project was conceived and curated by the team of three curators, Anders Härm, Rebeka Põldsam and Airi Triisberg and realised as part of the official programme of the European Capi- tal of Culture 2011. An almost two-month long exhibition period included an extensive programme of screenings, public perfor- mances and discussions. The wider context for the debates initiated by the exhibition was also provided by the 2011 Baltic Pride Festival Week, which took place in the capital of Estonia. This interview with two curators from the team looks at the ideas behind the project, the conditions that enabled its realisation as well as the issues of recep- tion and wider response in a society where opinions as to the rights of sexual minorities continue to be deeply divided.
Talks by Rebeka Põldsam
MAJA , 2019
Artikkel on eesti ja inglise keeles. / The article is in Estonian and English.
Artikkel "AVAL... more Artikkel on eesti ja inglise keeles. / The article is in Estonian and English.
Artikkel "AVALIKUD HÄMARALAD LINNARUUMIS. Fragmente Tallinna seksuaalsuse ajaloost" on kirjutatud ettekande põhjal, kus rääkisin sõdadevahelise perioodi Eesti ajakirjandusest leitud homoseksuaalsete meeste ja naiste representatsioonidest ning lantimisaladest, mille põhjal saab analüüsida Tallinna kvääriajalugu.
The article "PUBLIC DARK ROOMS IN URBAN SPACE: Fragments from the Tallinn History of Sexuality" is based on talk where I discussed the representations of homosexual men, women and cruising spaces in interwar Estonian journalism. These stories make a good starting point to develop a possible queer history of Tallinn.
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Papers by Rebeka Põldsam
In order to build a better understanding of what sexuality meant in interwar Estonia and how it was expressed, this article focuses on representations of sexual and gender minorities in the Estonian printed media of the 1920s–1930s. On the one hand, seldom if ever, I found immediate voices of the marginalised people in focus, while on the other hand, many of the terms to describe sexual diversity were in the process of being articulated or had not been defined by that time. This lack of definitions, however, cre- ates an epistemological gap between the present day and the interwar period, which I am aiming to reduce with this article. Hence, in order to demonstrate the development of sexuality-related terminology through time, I start with a brief survey of Estonian LGBTQI+ historiography. Next, I map the journalistic and scientific articles on sex and gender minorities in interwar Estonia. Finally, I present a case study of a so-called male-woman A. Oinatski, who was the most frequently and diversely portrayed queer person in Estonia during the interwar era. To systematize and differentiate the found fragmented sources, I apply feminist theorist Karen Barad’s model of agential realism, which helps to notice nuanced relationships between various examples of discourse around sexual minorities during the interwar era. Finally, I look at how the eugenics movement influenced the depictions and concepts of sex and gender in the public discus- sions held in interwar Estonia.
To what degree is the feminist position accepted and embraced in Estonian art of the 2000s? Who were the ones to create art proceeding from a feministic and/or gender-conscious position, and how? How sensi- tive, aware, well-thought-out or comparable to Western trends is the message sent out by works loaded with political demands or aspirations by artists who deal with gender issues in Estonia, whether the works aspire to greater freedom and emancipation or are just focused on sounding a critique?
Uurimus jaotub temaatiliselt kaheks: geisensibiilne kunst, mis jääb peamiselt 1990. aastatesse, ning seksuaalvähemuste identiteedipoliitiline kunst, mis kerkib esile 2000. aastatel kunsti sotsiaalsemaks muutumisega. Geisensibiilne kunst kasutab vihjelist märgikeelt, mis on levinud geisubkultuuris ning keskendub peamiselt kehale, mängides sealjuures soolisuse ja seksuaalsuse normatiivide piiridega. Identiteedipoliitiline seksuaalvähemusi representeeriv kunst lähtub kaasaegsetest queer-teooriatest ning käsitleb seksuaalvähemuste sotsiaalseid probleeme isiklikus ja avalikus ruumis.
Üks võtmesõnu käesolevas uurimuses ongi queer, millele eesti keeles otsest vastet pole. Kasutan sõna queer katusmõistena rääkides lesbidest, geidest, biseksuaalidest, transvestiitidest ja transsoolistest, queeridest või interseksuaalsetest (LGBTQI). Queer on inglise keeles korraga verb, nimi- ja omadussõna, mis algselt tähendas mittesobivat, hiljem “pede”. Queer pole lihtsalt gei või lesbi, kuigi ka nemad võivad olla queerid, praegusel ajal kasutatakse terminit queer ka uue soolise positsioneeringu või identiteedi kohta, mis hõlmab ni homo- kui heteroseksuaalset orientatsiooni. Tänapäevane teoreeriline termin queer ja queer-teooria kannavad oma suhteliselt lühikese ajaloo tõttu jätkuvalt radikaalse erinemise tähendust, olles tööriistaks, mille abil dekonstrueerida mehe ja naise, sotsiaalse ja bioloogilise soo (gender/sex) dihhotoomiate normatiivsust igapäeva mõtlemises.
Interviews, roundtable discussions by Rebeka Põldsam
Talks by Rebeka Põldsam
Artikkel "AVALIKUD HÄMARALAD LINNARUUMIS. Fragmente Tallinna seksuaalsuse ajaloost" on kirjutatud ettekande põhjal, kus rääkisin sõdadevahelise perioodi Eesti ajakirjandusest leitud homoseksuaalsete meeste ja naiste representatsioonidest ning lantimisaladest, mille põhjal saab analüüsida Tallinna kvääriajalugu.
The article "PUBLIC DARK ROOMS IN URBAN SPACE: Fragments from the Tallinn History of Sexuality" is based on talk where I discussed the representations of homosexual men, women and cruising spaces in interwar Estonian journalism. These stories make a good starting point to develop a possible queer history of Tallinn.
In order to build a better understanding of what sexuality meant in interwar Estonia and how it was expressed, this article focuses on representations of sexual and gender minorities in the Estonian printed media of the 1920s–1930s. On the one hand, seldom if ever, I found immediate voices of the marginalised people in focus, while on the other hand, many of the terms to describe sexual diversity were in the process of being articulated or had not been defined by that time. This lack of definitions, however, cre- ates an epistemological gap between the present day and the interwar period, which I am aiming to reduce with this article. Hence, in order to demonstrate the development of sexuality-related terminology through time, I start with a brief survey of Estonian LGBTQI+ historiography. Next, I map the journalistic and scientific articles on sex and gender minorities in interwar Estonia. Finally, I present a case study of a so-called male-woman A. Oinatski, who was the most frequently and diversely portrayed queer person in Estonia during the interwar era. To systematize and differentiate the found fragmented sources, I apply feminist theorist Karen Barad’s model of agential realism, which helps to notice nuanced relationships between various examples of discourse around sexual minorities during the interwar era. Finally, I look at how the eugenics movement influenced the depictions and concepts of sex and gender in the public discus- sions held in interwar Estonia.
To what degree is the feminist position accepted and embraced in Estonian art of the 2000s? Who were the ones to create art proceeding from a feministic and/or gender-conscious position, and how? How sensi- tive, aware, well-thought-out or comparable to Western trends is the message sent out by works loaded with political demands or aspirations by artists who deal with gender issues in Estonia, whether the works aspire to greater freedom and emancipation or are just focused on sounding a critique?
Uurimus jaotub temaatiliselt kaheks: geisensibiilne kunst, mis jääb peamiselt 1990. aastatesse, ning seksuaalvähemuste identiteedipoliitiline kunst, mis kerkib esile 2000. aastatel kunsti sotsiaalsemaks muutumisega. Geisensibiilne kunst kasutab vihjelist märgikeelt, mis on levinud geisubkultuuris ning keskendub peamiselt kehale, mängides sealjuures soolisuse ja seksuaalsuse normatiivide piiridega. Identiteedipoliitiline seksuaalvähemusi representeeriv kunst lähtub kaasaegsetest queer-teooriatest ning käsitleb seksuaalvähemuste sotsiaalseid probleeme isiklikus ja avalikus ruumis.
Üks võtmesõnu käesolevas uurimuses ongi queer, millele eesti keeles otsest vastet pole. Kasutan sõna queer katusmõistena rääkides lesbidest, geidest, biseksuaalidest, transvestiitidest ja transsoolistest, queeridest või interseksuaalsetest (LGBTQI). Queer on inglise keeles korraga verb, nimi- ja omadussõna, mis algselt tähendas mittesobivat, hiljem “pede”. Queer pole lihtsalt gei või lesbi, kuigi ka nemad võivad olla queerid, praegusel ajal kasutatakse terminit queer ka uue soolise positsioneeringu või identiteedi kohta, mis hõlmab ni homo- kui heteroseksuaalset orientatsiooni. Tänapäevane teoreeriline termin queer ja queer-teooria kannavad oma suhteliselt lühikese ajaloo tõttu jätkuvalt radikaalse erinemise tähendust, olles tööriistaks, mille abil dekonstrueerida mehe ja naise, sotsiaalse ja bioloogilise soo (gender/sex) dihhotoomiate normatiivsust igapäeva mõtlemises.
Artikkel "AVALIKUD HÄMARALAD LINNARUUMIS. Fragmente Tallinna seksuaalsuse ajaloost" on kirjutatud ettekande põhjal, kus rääkisin sõdadevahelise perioodi Eesti ajakirjandusest leitud homoseksuaalsete meeste ja naiste representatsioonidest ning lantimisaladest, mille põhjal saab analüüsida Tallinna kvääriajalugu.
The article "PUBLIC DARK ROOMS IN URBAN SPACE: Fragments from the Tallinn History of Sexuality" is based on talk where I discussed the representations of homosexual men, women and cruising spaces in interwar Estonian journalism. These stories make a good starting point to develop a possible queer history of Tallinn.