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Author Bio

Anastasia is a PhD student at University of Maryland College Park focusing on International Education Policy, with a previous M.S. Ed. degree in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in History from Lomonosov Moscow State University. Author’s professional journey includes working in Russia, Mexico, and the United States. As a former director of the Upward Bound Math-Science program at the University of Pennsylvania and a research assistant at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, the author has been dedicated to working towards a more equitable educational system for all.

Anastasiia has been working in the field of arts-based education for the past decade. The majority of their work has been for a major art gallery in Russia, but they also developed participatory art education initiatives in Georgia, Spain, and the United States. With a B.A. in History of Art from National Research University Higher School of Economics and an M.Phil in Arts, Creativity and Education from the University of Cambridge, in their research they focus on informal educational communities in authoritarian regimes, specifically contemporary Russia. They are currently pursuing a PhD at the UCL Institute of Education.

Abstract

This study examines the contribution of recent digital queer educational projects aimed at a Russian-speaking audience, such as Queerorama and Lesbian Lobby, to the development of critical consciousness and transformative action within the queer communities in contemporary Russia. Analyzing the online discussion of the projects through the lens of Freirean critical pedagogy, the research reveals that while the projects educate their audiences on queer cultural history and highlight the contradictions within the current homophobic societal and legislative environment, they cannot be qualified as praxis, as they often fall short of translating said awareness into action. Users conceptualize the projects as digital safe spaces and value seeing authentic representation but express feelings of hopelessness, entrapment and inability to challenge their oppressive conditions. The findings underscore the complexities of queer human rights education in repressive contexts and point to the need for further research on whether digital conscientization can effectively drive social and political change.

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