Paper short abstract:

This paper is a work in progress that explores the ways Swedish and Russian national identities are structured in relation homosexuality and what effects this construction has for the way the national identities, on the macro level, are positioned vis-à-vis each other

Paper long abstract:

This paper starts by looking at the discourses on sexual nationalisms in the Russian and Swedish contexts. Previous research shows that the relation between the notions of sexuality and nation can be described as "state homophobia" in Russia, "homo-friendliness" or "homonationalism" in Sweden, and the Swedish disposition directed toward Russia can be termed "leveraged pedagogy". The paper attempts to provide a more nuanced account of Russian and Swedish well-established and discursively hegemonic positions beyond the simple "homophobiv" / "homo-friendly" binary. The paper is a start in exploring the questions such as (1) How are the Swedish and Russian national identities constructed in relation to (homo)sexuality? (2) What effects does this construction have for the way the national identities, on the macro level, are positioned vis-à-vis each other? (3) How is sexuality used to discursively articulate, construct and negotiate the borders between Russia(nness) and Sweden/Swedishness?