The major social transformations of the 20th century in Russia and Europe invariably led to the reassessment of established gender conventions. During these periods, culture saw the emergence of so-called new women — characters reflecting the values of the progressive segment of society and hopes for further female emancipation.

In her book, Svetlana Smagina proposes the concept that social changes are represented in cinema through such characters and provides a detailed analysis of the images of new women in the national cinematography of Scandinavian countries, Germany, France, and Russia. The author demonstrates how, over time, heroines who previously did not fit into the patriarchal system and occupied marginal positions in society became the voices of revolutionary ideas and new feminist values.

The researcher focuses on three historical periods that fundamentally changed the development of not only Russia in the 20th century but also Western countries: the revolutionary transformations that began in 1917 (including a kind of preparatory pre-revolutionary period), the shift in social formation after 1991 in Russia, and the period of youth unrest in the 1960s in Europe.

Svetlana Smagina is a Doctor of Art Studies and a leading research fellow at the Analytical Department of the Research Center for Film Education and Screen Arts at VGIK.