“Successful” identity transformation: the representation of Israeli post-Soviet immigrant women in La’isha

Yulia Shevchenko, Einat Lachover

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article draws on a special issue of La’isha, Israel’s most popular women’s magazine, to study media representations of post-Soviet women. The March 2020 issue, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union to Israel of the 1990s, focused on 1.5 generation post-Soviet women. Past studies suggest that first-generation post-Soviet women in Israel are represented as morally and socially fragmented. In light of this, we ask whether this special issue suggests a different representation. Our study is based on analysis of the contents and visual images of the special issue, as well as interviews with parties involved in the production of the issue. Our findings reveal four discourses constructing the identity of 1.5 generation post-Soviet women: that is, discourses of nationality, Russianness, becoming an Israeli, and being a successful immigrant woman. Our main argument is that La’isha presents the 1.5 generation post-Soviet woman as the successful image of Western neoliberal feminism while maintaining the traditional discourse of Israeli gender order and ethno-national ethos. We further conclude that the feminist neoliberal discourse in La’isha’s special issue mobilizes the immigrants’ identities, producing a model of the successful immigrant woman.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1769-1785
Number of pages17
JournalFeminist Media Studies
Volume23
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2023

Keywords

  • 1.5 Generation Post-Soviet Women
  • Immigration
  • Israeli ethno-nationality
  • Media Representation
  • Neoliberal Feminism
  • Women’s Magazines

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Gender Studies
  • Communication
  • Visual Arts and Performing Arts

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of '“Successful” identity transformation: the representation of Israeli post-Soviet immigrant women in La’isha'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this