“NOTHING OF THE OLD”: THE NARRATIVES OF SOVIET WOMEN’S EMANCIPATION IN MAILIN’S THE COMMUNIST RAUSHAN

Abstract

The title of my capstone project is “Nothing of the Old: The Narratives of Soviet Women Emancipation in Mailin’s The Communist Raushan. I explain the changes faced by Soviet women during the liberation movement at the onset of the twentieth century. I focused my research on Beimbet Mailin’s novel The Communist Raushan to analyze how the work narrates the women’s emancipation in the Kazakh steppes. Overall, the research’s value is that there are not many resources on how liberation was promoted among nomadic populations. The novel describes the heroine Raushan, whose life symbolizes young Kazakh women, who were to transform by the state’s initiative. Her example is especially important, for she sees both difficulties and achievements to become a true emancipated Soviet woman. Therefore I argue that emancipation is perceived as a change with double significance. Those who faced the injustices of the “backward” way of life will become the new emancipated Soviet women. My argument is built by exploring the history of Soviet emancipation, specifically focusing on other Turkic women’s stories during the 1920-30s to match with the novel’s time frame. Reading selected passages of the novel through the lens of my historical readings enabled me to discover the following: The opinions on the significance of Soviet authority are dichotomous; While some criticize its counterculturality, others rely on it as a sole coping mechanism. When Raushan is demonized by the villagers because of her embodiment of the Communist principles, a young woman visits her house. She begs Raushan for help from the husband’s abuse, provoked by his first wife. She cries out "I don’t know who a communist is, but I have heard they help women. If it is right, let them help me, let them free me from [his] cane. I would be grateful to convert into Christianity if they save me from that!" (Mailin, 43)

The episode captures the essence of the service to the Soviets. It aligns the religion and polygamy antithetical to the new way of life associated with atheism, education, and work. The excerpt not only prioritizes Raushan but the side character, who addresses her concerns with old lifestyles. Her emotional plea parallels the experiences of other women, who first face direct oppression, then to be directed towards the Soviet enlightenment.To conclude, my work synthesizes Mailin’s novel to explain the complexity of the liberation movement in Kazakh ASSR.