History Theses and Dissertations

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From Russia With Love: A Transnational History of Post-Soviet Wives and Their American Husbands
(University of Oregon, 2022-10-04) Brereton, August; Hessler, Julie
This thesis addresses the motivations and experiences of post-Soviet women who married American men though internet agencies in the 1990s and 2000s. I explain the historical context for these migrations, unpack the mechanics of international marriage, and shed light on the experiences of Russian women and their marriages in America. As the post-Soviet period enters the discipline of history, I aim to complicate earlier scholarship which focused on the legal side of international marriage as an industry, without thorough exploration of the individuals involved. My research, based heavily on eight interviews conducted during the summer of 2021, emphasizes the agency of Russian women as they consciously sought loving marriages and material security, while simultaneously navigating the gendered strains of the Soviet collapse.