A Woman's Empire explores a new dimension of Russian imperialism: women actively engaged in the process of late imperial expansion. The book investigates how women writers, travellers, and scientists who journeyed to and beyond Central Asia participated in Russia's "civilizing" and colonizing mission, utilizing newly found educational opportunities while navigating powerful discourses of femininity as well as male-dominated science.

Katya Hokanson shows how these Russian women resisted domestic roles in a variety of ways. The women writers include a governor general's wife, a fiction writer who lived in Turkestan, and a famous Theosophist, among others. They make clear the perspectives of the ruling class and outline the special role of women as describers and recorders of information about local women, and as builders of "civilized" colonial Russian society with its attendant performances and social events. Although the bulk of the women's writings, drawings, and photography is primarily noteworthy for its cultural and historical value, A Woman's Empire demonstrates how the works also add dimension and detail to the story of Russian imperial expansion and illuminates how women encountered, imagined, and depicted Russia's imperial Other during this period.

About the Author
Katya Hokanson is an associate professor of Russian and Comparative Literature at the University of Oregon.

Reviews
"A Woman's Empire is a compellingly written, methodically researched, and persuasive study of empire. It provides insightful readings of lesser-known texts and paints an engaging picture of how women contributed to colonial discourse by upholding the legitimacy of Russian rule in Central Asia and beyond, while at times critiquing their own unequal status and the failures of imperial expansion. Hokanson's impressive study is an essential book for historians, literary scholars, and students of gender studies, postcolonial studies, and travel writing." -- Colleen Lucey, University of Arizona * Slavic Review *


Awards
Short-listed for The 2023 Svetlana Boym Best Book in Cultural Studies American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) 2024 (United States).



Book Information
ISBN 9781487545604
Author Katya Hokanson
Format Hardback
Page Count 360
Imprint University of Toronto Press
Publisher University of Toronto Press
Weight(grams) 630g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 159mm * 25mm