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EntrepreneurialEthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism" 81

headforthesofatowatchsomeactionmovieonthevideo. Ifatthatmoment

someonetellsme:"Getupandgoseea girl,"I won'tevenmove.Infact,having myworkis morethanenough-atworkeverything'sfullswing,atworkyou setyourselftasksandaccomplishthem,atworkthere'sthesmellofsuccess. I don'tevenknowwhata girlshouldbe likeforhernottoseemboring.36

Thisnormativepictureofthetruecareerist,whosepersonaltimeandromanticdesireshavebeendisplacedontopersonalizedbusinessexistence,is reinforcedthroughcontrasttotheabnormal,problematicabundanceofpersonaltimeanddesiresamongmenof theold nonbusinessmodel. The disciplinaryeffectofthisoppositionis enhancedbya woman'sperspective,whichputstorestanypossiblecareerist'sconcernaboutmissing somethingbynotingthatnormalwomendonothavetimeforromanticrelationseither:"I

haveno timefora normalrelationship,"explainsMarinaV.,a departmentmanagerina privatebusiness."Buta normalmanhasnotimeforiteitherThat's.whyI'm invitedout

bymenwhohavetonsoffreetimeandthesamenumberofproblems."37 Constructionofthenormativefigureofthetruecareeristreliesonrecastingthemodel

ofhisfamilyintermsofthesameself-centered,masculinized,andflexiblemodeloftime, space,andemotionsParadoxical.as itseems,a truecareeristwitha familyshouldhaveno

"personal"lifeunlessitis centeredon himself,justlikethebachelor'sin theexamples citedabove,withonedifference:thepresence,nottheabsence,ofa wifeaffordsthecareerist distancefromcollective"domesticityAccording."tothisnorm,thefamilyis a temporary sphereforrelaxation,anextensionofprofessionalizedlife,ratherthana separatesphere. Thisfamilyplaystheroleofa shortpsychological"smokebreak"intheintense,meaning- fulprocessofself-centeredcareer-forging,notunlikethesofaandactionmovieinthelife ofan unmarriedcareerist.In thewordsofAleksandrKhloponin,"Foranycareerist,his

familyis hishomebase(tyl),wherehe'snotonlyfedandcaredfor,butalso supportedin thecase ofa failure.It's a bastionwhereyou'reunderstoodandsympathizedwith.A normalwifeis above all yourpartner.Andperhapsa littlebityourpsychoanalyst."38 Kar'eraillustrateshowthismodeloperatesforthosewhohavealreadyachievedsuccessful

careers:"I've heardmanyfamousbusinessmenwhenaskedaboutfamilyandkidsrepeat

thesamephrase:'I havethatflankcoveredbymywife'(u meniaetonapravleniezakryto zhenoi). You understand,right?The flank'scovered,andnowthesepeoplecan give themselvesuptotheirworkwithgusto."39

The transformationofthefamilyfromthesphereofpersonallifeto a methodof freeingoneselffromitis paralleledbythepersonalizationofthesphereofbusiness.True careeristsmustrepeatedlyperforma wholerangeofactsandritualsthatpersonalizeand domesticatetheirprofessionaltime,space,interests,andemotions.Sexualizingandmasculinizingtheirwork,theyproducenewgenderedhierarchiesofrelationsandgoalswithin

business.Kar'eraexplainshowthismodelworksamongthemostsuccessfulbusinessmen:

36Nikolai,topmanager,quotedinBuilova,"S chuvstvomglubokogoneudovletvoreniia."

37Ibid.(emphasisadded).

38Adomaite,"Kar'era- etotsenacheloveka"(emphasisadded). 39Ibid.

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82 AlexeiYurchak

Thebusinessmandivideshistimeamongconferences,businessmeetings,and trips.Andwhoisthislong-legged,silk-flapping,andmist-scentedcreaturenext tohim?It'sclearlynothisbodyguardand,needlesstosay,nothiswife.It'shis secretary... Forthesecretarythereceptionroomandthemaster'sofficeconstitutea littleworldwheremostof theprofessionalandpersonaltimeis spent. Here,thebossrevealshissecrets.Here,onleathersofasandpolisheddesks,the bossandhisassistantgettoknoweachotherIt's.thewifeforwhomthebosshas

notimeuntiltheendofthequarterThe. secretaryknowswhenit'sa goodtime toenterandhowmuchtimetheyhave.40

Fromtheperspectiveofthisnormativeregime,a familybasedontheold"socialist" principlesofpartnershipbetweenspousesisa deviationfromthenormbecauseitprevents thetruecareeristfromtransformingthemeaningandstructureofhislifeas required.41 Thatis whyone is taughthowtoremedythisdeviantsituationthroughconcretetechniques,rituals,andacts,suchas divorce,theformationofa newfamilyonthebasisofnew

norms,repeatedadulteryorregularchangeofyounggirlfriendsSuccessful. businessmen, Kar'eraexplains,"areall talented,rich,independent,and... single.Notbecausethey're suchmonsters-no,themajorityofthemarequitenice,intelligentpeople. 'There'sno timetolookfora partner,'theysay.Mostofthemhavebeenmarriedbefore...Andmost ofthemmostlikelywillcheaton theirfuturewives."42 Womenwholiveorworkwith

successfulbusinessmenalso areattunedtothemodel:"It'sfashionablenowamongthe

'newRussians'tomarryagain(forthethirdandfourthtime),andeachtimetochoosea wifewho'syoungerandyounger,"explainsElenaSemunina,thewifeofthegeneralmanagerofRussianGold,AleksandrSemunin."Thesegirlsgeteverythingrightaway ...

effortlesslyBut,. atthesametime,they'rebeingabandonedjustas effortlessly."43Irina, theownerofan advertisementagency,has "a malefriend... whoearnsa greatdeal of money[and]hasdivorcedhisoldwife.She'smyage(thirty-seven)He. oftensays:'I need a girla year.I don'tkeepthemlongerthanthat.I haveenoughkidsfrommytwoprevious wives. Oneyearwitha youngwomanis fun,butthenitgetsboring.'"4

Inthenewdiscursiveformationthisnormativemodelemergesintheexpressionsand speechactsthatdescribemenas talented,rich,independent,niceandintelligentpeople,

businessmen,masters,bosses,andsupervisors,whocheatontheirwivesoraredivorced andhavenotimetolookfora partner.Womenareportrayedas subservientgirls,secre- taries,assistants,long-leggedcreatures,youngwiveswithwhommenquicklygetbored, whomtheydon'tkeeplongerthana yearandwhomtheyeasilyabandon. The female careerinthisdiscursiveformationisconceivedandspokenofnotintermsofherprofes-

sionalactivitiesorevenhertraditionalfamilyobligations,butintermsofhernew"normal"desiretodependona truemalecareerist:"Whatdo schoolgirlsandretiredwomen, salesgirlsandpop divas,marriedwomenandold spinstersdreamof? Theydreamof

40ViktorGavrikov,"Braksbiznesmenom:Priiatnoespoleznym,"Kar'era,1998,no.6 (emphasisadded). 41GailKligmanandSusanGal,ThePoliticsofGenderAfterSocialism:AComparative-HistoricalEssay(Princeton,

2000).

42"15 samykhzavidnykhzhenikhovRossii,"Kar'era,1998,no.1. 43"Semeinoezoloto,"Profil'28 (2000).

44Author'sinterview.

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EntrepreneurialEthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism" 83

marryingbusinessmanMarriage. toa businessmanisthehighestcareerachievementfor a woman."45

Womenhavea chancetorealizethisgoalinpractice,explainsKar'era,byengaging inconcretewomen'sactivitiesinthesphereofbusiness.Thus,"judgingbythepolls,today it's notonlymucheasierfora secretarytohavea successfulcareer,butalso to marry well."46 Indeed,"someparticularlyluckyladiesevenmanagetomarrytheboss."47However,themaingoalofthismodelis nota woman'spersonalsuccess,butherparticipation inthemainproject-theformationofthenewcareeristWomen.whomarrytruecareerist

mustrelievehimoftheproblemsofpersonallife,whilewomeninvolvedinthesphereof businessmustcontributetothepersonalization,sexualization,andmasculinizationofthis sphere.Kar'eraexplainshowconcreteperformativeactsandritualsallowwomennot onlytoachievetheirpersonalgoalsbutalsotocontributetotheconstructionoftherequi- sitemodeloftruecareeristmasculinity:

One mustpreparewell foran affairwiththeboss. Wearbusinesssuitsthat

emphasizetheassetsofyourfigure.Ifyouhavebeautifullegs,maketheskirtas shortas corporateetiquetteallows. Don'tforgetabouthighheels.48

Use anymeanstoattracttheboss's attentionWithout.knowingyourname,he hastobeabletonoticeyouinthecrowdofyourwhite-blousedcolleagues...So, let'sstartbydressingup,usingtastefulmake-up,andhavinga fashionablenew haircut.Let'strytolookmoreattractiveandmoreexpensive.49

Sexologiststechnicallydivideallmenintomalesofoneoftwofloors-topand bottom.Representativesofthe"bottomfloor"payattentiontoa woman'ships, rear,andlegs. Forsucha bossputon a shortskirt.Males ofthe"topfloor" admiretheneckandbust. In thesecases,stockup on low-cutblouses. Some womentrytokilltwobirdswithonestoneandrevealeverythingtheycan. That's wrong. You shouldbareonlyone "floor"-otherwiseyou'lluse a forbidden methodandbecome"easy"(dostupnaia).You'll be takenadvantageofbefore youmanagetoreachtheboss'soffice(justkidding).50

Clearly,thesefemaleperformativeactshaveas muchtodowithshapinga normative careeristwomanas withmoldinga normativecareeristman,andthatthesenormsare

differentFor.men,as we have seen,thenormdictatesreplacingpersonallifewitha successfulcareer("There'sno timefortrivialitieswhenyou'reforgingyourcareer").5' Forwomen,on thecontrary,sucha situationindicatesdeviationfromthenorm,sinceit contradictsthemainprojectofforminga truemalecareeristThe.absenceofpersonallife

amongwomenthreatensthisprojectandisdescribedas a psychologicalandevenbiologi- cal pathologyProfil'.quotesa malepsychologist:

45Gavrikov,"Braksbiznesmenom." 46Ibid.

47StevenShark,"Boss,est'liubov',"Kar'era,2000,no.3. 48StevenShark,"Kakulozhit'shefavpostel',"Kar'era,1999,no.6. 49Shark,"Boss,est'liubov'."

%Ibid.

51Builova,"S chuvstvomglubokogoneudovletvoreniia."

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84 AlexeiYurchak

A greatnumberofwomenwhopursuebusinesscareershaveproblemsintheir

personallives. They'renotcapableofbuildinglong-termrelationshipswith men.Forthema careerisa kindofcompensation:personneedstocompensate forfailuresinonesphereofherlifewithsuccessinanothersphere... It'sbeen

proventhatwomenwitha higherIQ ...havea higherlevelofthemalehormone gonadotrophine,whichinturncausesspecificallymalereactionsinmanysituations.Atthesametime,thewomenwhoaremostpopularwithmentendtowork

inchildcare.It's no accidentthatPrinceCharlesmarriedDiana Spencer,who was a kindergartenteacher.52

WOMAN'S BUSINESS

Cana womanbe involvedinbusinesswithoutriskingpathologyandthreateningthemale truecareeristmodel?Indeed,shecan:a "normal"businesscareerfora womanis known

in thisdiscursiveformationas zhenskiibiznes(woman'sbusiness). Thismodelcasts "woman'sbusiness"as a gifttoa womanfroma successfulman,andtypicallyconsistsof

"a fashionboutique,a beautysalonora plasticsurgeryclinic.""53Formanymalecareerists, explainsKar'era,a giftofthissortis"theonlysmartwayout,becausea boredwomanwho sitsathomeis a seriousthreattoa busyman'smentalhealth."54Sucha womanisunable

torelievethemalecareeristofthepreoccupationsofpersonallife.

witha "woman'sbusiness"constitutesatechniqueofneutralizingthreateningsituation, analogoustothedivorceandtemporaryrelationswithyoungwomencitedintheexamples above.Itisthereforecrucialthat "woman'sbusiness"beseenbybothmenandwomenas

secondaryto a man'sbusiness,dependenton malesupport,andmorehobbythanreal business.Vera,theownerofa fashionboutique,explainsthat"menusuallydon'ttakea woman'sbusinessseriouslyThey.seeitas a hobby:letherhaveherfun,makingitalllook cute"(chtobkrasiven'kobylo).55Otherwomeninvolvedintheirownbusinessesdescribe

thisnormativemodelin similarterms:Nadezhda,whoownsa measurementequipment

company,pointsoutthat"in smallbusiness(v malombiznese),unlikein bigbusiness, therearequitea fewwomen."But

themajorityofthemdon'tmakea profit... In thebestcases theircompanies breakeven. Thedownpaymentforthisbusinesswas madebyeitherherhus-

band,lover,orsomeonewholikeshera lot. Butalwaysbya man. Oftenthese womendon'thavetopayoffthecredit.Andthemankeepsfinancingherbusinessbypayingherrentorbygivingherofficespace. Thisisoftendoneinorder tokeepthewomanbusy,so thatshewon'tbotherhim.56

Svetlana,whoownsa beautyparlor,addstothis:

52InterviewwithpsychologistMikhailLobkovskii,"Zhenskoeschast'e:Sem'iailirabota,"Profil'25 (2000). 5301'gaKazanskaia,"Zhenskiedela,"Kar'era,2000,no.3.

54Ibid.

55Author'sinterview.

interview.

56Author's

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EntrepreneurialEthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism" 85

As a rulewomenworkintheserviceindustry,orinsales-infeshn(fashion)and fitnes(fitness).Menusuallyownbigbusinesses,whilewomenownsmallones. Ifyoumeeta biznes-vumen(businesswoman)byall meansfindoutwho'sher man. He,mostlikely,hasa largerbusinessthathe'd startedearlier.Thereare veryfewwomeninseriousbusinessorinproduction.57

IrinaKononova's"man"washerhusbandVladimirKononov,theheadofConcordInter-

nationalConstructionCompany.Kononova,whonowheadsthefashionclothingcompanyFestival,in 1990"startedthefirstschoolforsecretariesinRussia." Forher,"my husbandwasmymaininvestor,ofcourse.He gaveme 15,000rubles-inthosedaysone couldbuytwoZhiguliswiththatmoney."Sheoptedfora schoolforsecretaries

firstofall,becausethisis a woman'sbusiness.Second,I hadsomeideaofhow

togo aboutit. Obviously,I couldn'tbe a brokeratthestockexchange,couldI? Wewerequitestrictinselectingthegirls:theyneededtohavea highereducation,foreignlanguageskills,and good looks. We taughttheminternational officework,variouscomputerprograms,businessetiquette,andevengavethem

drivinglessons.58

Svetlana,thebeautyparlorowner,describesa womanwhosebusinessalmostperfectlyfits thenormativemodel:

Oneofmyfriendsownsa fitnesscenterwitha woman'sclubanda beautyparlor. Herhusbandboughtan officeforherandgaveherstart-upcapitaltopaythe employeesandtobuytheequipmentSince. thenshe'sbeenworkingShe. makes somemoneyanddressesreallywell. Shedoesn'tinvesttheprofitsbackinthe business--everythingis spenton prettyblousesand skirts... There'sanother example-a womanwhohasa storethatsellslittlescarves,ties,andpurses.Her

husbandownsa largepharmaceuticalcompany...To makeherstopbothering himheboughtherofficespaceandgaveherstart-upcapital.59

ThatsomewomengoalongwiththemodelisaffirmedbythecommentsofIrinaKononova, whoassertsthat,"tobehonest,I don'tbelievethat womancanstart businessfromzero

onherown,withoutthesupportofa man.Thefactthatmyhusbandisbackingmeup,and thatatanymomentI cantakea stepbackandcontemplatedecisionfora littlelonger thanusual,givesmea senseoffreedom."60

In all theseexamples,a woman'sbusinessis treatedas a setofperformativeacts whoseprimarygoalis,onceagain,toassistinshapingthefigureofa maletruecareerist. Throughtheactsandritualsassociatedwitha woman'sbusinessmenliberatethemselves

fromtheproblemsofpersonallife,whilesimultaneouslyblockingwomen'saccesstothe "serious"worldofmen'sbusiness(muzhskoibiznes). Theseelementsofthenormative

57Author'sinterview.

58IngeboraAdomaite,"Konkor,eshcheKonkor,"Profil'14(2000). 59Author'sinterview.

60Adomaite,"Konkor,eshcheKonkor."

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86 AlexeiYurchak

modelareexpressedwithinthisdiscursiveformationin thefollowingformulations:

man'sbusinessis big,serious,profitable,andsuccessful;a woman'sbusinessis small,a hobby,cute,notprofitable,protectsmen'smentalhealth,andisbackedbyhim.Inmostof theciteddescriptionsa woman'sbusinessnotonlyis service-orientedbutalso targets predominantlywomen. Fitnesscenters,beautyparlors,cosmeticsalons,plasticsurgery clinics,clothesboutiques,and secretarialschoolsareownedmainlybywomen,employ mainlywomen,andpurvey"women'sproducts"-fromgoodlookstoofficeskills.

LIMITS OF THE SPEAKABLE

Collectiverecreationalritualsinthenewbusinessworldincludevisitstothebania,tripsto

thecountry,traveloverseas,groupdrinking,andthelike. Thechiefrationaleforthese ritualsis neitherrecreationnorbusiness,buttheircontinuousmixing,whichfurther

professionalizestruecareerists'personaltime,space,andrelations,simultaneouslypersonalizingandmasculinizingtheirbusinesstime,space,andrelations."Thebaniais a greatplace formakingcontacts,"explainsbusinessmanSergeiPetrov."In suchwarm companyyoucanmeetveryusefulpeople.Andyouwon'tgeta betterchanceofestablish- inginformalconnectionswiththem... I knowthatmostlargeRussianbusinessstructures

havespecialdepartmentsthatorganizesuchrecreationalactivities."6'Anothersuccessful businessmanadds:"Ifeverythinggoeswell-thatmeans,ifthepartnersgetdrunkbutnot drunkenoughtohavea heartattack,andifthegirlsarepretty-athinglikethatreally helpbusinessalong."62The strengthofthemodelis suchthatpurerecreationis often

recognizedas impossible.As Igor',themanagerofa computercompanyexplains,

ifyougo tothecountryinthecompanyoffriends,it'snotalwayspossibleto relax.Everyone'sgottolooktough.You'vegottospreadaround(tirazhirovat) thesameself-imageyou'vebeenspreadingaroundduringtheweek.You'retied toallthesepeoplethroughbusiness,so youcan'tjustliedownonthebeachand playwithyourkids. Becauseyou'llhavetodo businesswiththesepeopleon

Monday.63

By relaxingin malecompany,conversingon maletopics,tellingmalejokes,and discussingmalebusinessmenperformatively"multiply"therequisiteimage.Mostwomen participatingin thismodelplaytherolesof mistresses,girls,andyoungwives. They themselvesfunctionas performativesymbolsofthetruecareerist-theirverypresence, looks,andbehaviorassistinthepersonalizationandmasculinizationofthebusinesssphere

andintheprofessionalizationpersonallife. Ifa womanfailstofollowthisnormative model-forexample,ifsheownsa seriouscompanyindependentlyof men-she falls outsideofthenormativediscursiveformation,crossingtheboundaryofthe"speakable"

61LiudmilaLunina,"Mestopechatiizmenit'nel'zia,"Kar'era,2000,no.7-8. 62Ibid.

63Author'sinterview.

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EntrepreneurialEthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism" 87

andthereforeriskinghervery"statusas a subject"ofspeech.64Nadezhda,whocharacterizeshersuccessfulmeasurementequipmentcompanyas "nota woman'sbusiness"(umenia

nezhenskiibiznes),explainshowthisfalling-outmayoccur:

RecentlywewenttoLakeLadoga. SevenfamiliesofbusinessmenIt.wasreally

interesting-allthemenownbigbusinesses.Theycamewiththeiryoungwives andchildren...Andthesemenhadnoideahowtotalktome. Theirwiveswere

sittingapart,baby-talking(siusiukali)withtheirkids,relaxingintheirownway. Theseweresecondandthirdwives,in theirearlytwenties,all muchyounger thanme,whilethemenwereall aroundmyage-betweenthirty-fiveandforty. Theyall usedtobe marriedtowomentheirownage,butthosewomendisappearedsomewhere....I hadnothingtotalkaboutwiththeseyoungwives.We're toodifferentinageandinterestsI.couldonlysmileinsilence.Butthemenalso

didn'tknowhowtotalktome. Theycouldn'tdiscussbusinessorwomenwith

me.Theythought,"She'sa wifeandhere'sherhusband-businessman(onazhena, a votee muzh-biznesmen)How. thehellamI goingtotalktoher?" Atmost,

theycouldtellme a dirtyjoke, so I couldgiggle. I was completelydropped (vypala).65

Svetlana,thebeautyparlorowner,describestypicalbusinesscontextsin whichwomen wouldfeelandbeperceivedbyothersas "outofplace":

Veryoftenbusinessdecisionsaremadeinthecompanyoffriendswherea woman wouldneverfitin. Mymalebusinessfriendsoftengotothebania. Sometimes

"withgirls(s devochkami)They.inviteme,too,butI'd nevergo,ofcourse.Nor willI gotodrinkvodkawiththem.NorwillI gotothecountryside"tohavefun" (razvlekat'sia)Because. oftenit'simpliedthatforthemI'm firstofalla woman. Andduringa drinkingbouttheymayforgetthatmyinteractionwiththemis businessandnotlove. SuchoutingscouldendupbadlyformeifI don'twantto

join them,buttheyinsist,especiallyifthey'redrunk.I'm willingtotalkbusi- nessinaninformalsettingwithmen-in a caf6orduringa walk.Butpreferably oneononeorina smallgroup.Thissignificantlylowersmybusinessopportu- nities.66

A womancanbesuccessfulinherownbusinessifsheavoidsjeopardizingthenormativemodelofthetruemalecareeristandmanagestoturnsomeaspectsofthismodeltoher

advantage.AccordingtoElenaAndreeva,presidentofthesecuritycompanyBastion,"a wisewomancanuseherweaknessas a strengthDoing.so evengiveshera certainadvantage."67Svetlana,thebeautyparlorowner,callsthisuseofweaknessa "game":"Forme, localbusinessis a realgame. It'stheonlyway." Thisgametranslatesintoperformative actsandritualsthatbothreproducethenormativemodelofthemaletruecareeristand,at

thesametime,allowwomentoconductbusinessindependentlyIrina,.theadvertisement agencyowner,has formulatedforherselfthissetoftechniquesandritualsintoa basic

ExcitableSpeech,133. 6Butler, 65Author'sinterview.

66Author'sinterview. 67NelliAleksandrova,"Osnovnoiinstinkt,"Kar'era,2000,no.3.

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88 AlexeiYurchak

know-how:"Awoman'sbusinessandhergoodcontractsarebasedonmakingitseemthat

personal[romantic]relations[withmen]arealwayspossible,onconstantlykeepingupa performance-asifsomethingelsecouldalwayshappenbetweenyou.... I havemyown

know-howfordealingwithmale Thisknow-howconsistsofperformative businessmen.'"68

actsandritualsthatmixtheroleofa weakwoman(involvedina "woman'sbusiness") withtheroleofa self-sufficiententrepreneur(involvedin"truebusiness").Bycombining thesemodelsIrinais abletocontinueherseriousbusinesswhileavoidingimperilingthe normativemodelofthetruecareeristmale:

Firstofall,whenI'm onmywaytomeeta client,who'susuallya man,I alwaystryto stopbya hairdresser's,putonbetterclothes,weara decentperfume,havea manicure.Second,duringthemeetingI neverstartdiscussing anythingmyselfI. alwaysletmentalkfirst... Here,I playtheroleofa subordinatewhocanbebossedaround.As ifit'snotmewho'sofferingthema contract, buttheywho'retellingmewhattodo. Insuchcases,menusuallydon'tmindit whenI endupbillingthemformywork... Third,ifthere'sanyconflict... my goalistoletthemknowthat,ontheonehand,I'ma poorgirl(bednaiadevushka), but,ontheotherhand,I won'tletthemtakeadvantageofme. Thisgivesthema chancetobackoffwithoutlosingface.Theycansay:"OK, let'snottakeadvantageofa poorgirl"(nebudemobizhat'bednuiudevushku).

RecentlyI hadthissituationwithone company, bigRussianfoodpro-

ducer.I dida projectforthem,andtheyrefusedtopayme,ina mostcriminal way. Theysimplyinvitedmeintotheirofficeandsaid:"Wewon'tpayforthis projectbecauseweoverspentourbudgetonsomethingelse." Theyhadproblems andtheydecidedtotakethemoutonme. Theywouldn'tdothattoothermen,of

course. So, I hadto turnon myknow-how.I said: "Well,thisis verynice. You'vefoundthestrongestpersoninthecitywhomyoudon'thavetopay.Look

atyourselves:you'restronghandsomemen,andyou'retakingadvantageofa poorgirl. I didthisandthatforyou. I reallydon'tunderstandI. workalone. I've a secretaryandanaccountant,whomI havetofeed.Mybusiness,incomparisonwithyours,is wortha penny.Look atthesize ofyourcompany!Of course,I'm notgoingtotakeyoutocourtoranythinglikethat. Of courseI

won't!I'll simplygoandcry."Allthisisaccompaniedbysniffling,sighing,and wipingawaytears.A realtheatricalmystification,likemyhair-dosandmani- cures.Intheendtheypaidmeandevengavemea neworder.Theyfeltguilty, whichwasmymaingoal-thattheynotfeelanyjoyinplayingmefora fool.On theonehand,menwanttofeelstrong,but,ontheother,theydon'tfeelcomfortabletakingadvantageofa woman,especiallyinfrontofothermen.69

Havingtoswitchfromtheroleofa confidentbusinesswomantothatofa powerless

anddependentgirl,Irinaparticipatesin thepersonalizationandmasculinizationofthe businesssphere.Theseperformativeactspermitbusinessmentoswitchfroma formaland

unethicalbusinessinteractiontoa morepersonal,sexual,andchivalrousone,whichallows themto save facewithouteverlosingtheirbusinesspower. Kar'erainformsits femalereadershowthismodelshouldworkinpractice:"Inordertousemenonemusttry

interview.

68Author's

69Author'sinterview.

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EntrepreneurialEthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism" 89

nottolooktoostrongandindependent,likeIrinaKhamada.Shecreatestheimpressionof an accomplishedpersonwhocanherselfhelpanyone.That'swhyshe'snevergotany- thingfrommen."70

This performative"know-how"recreatesthehierarchiesandpracticesof "male economy"withitspatriarchalideology.Bothmenandwomenbecomebearersofthis ideology,whichis a necessaryconditionforthereproductionofthenormativecareerist model.Althoughthisdominantmodeldoesprovokeoccasionalresistance,whichisobvi-

ousfromthestatementsofwomen-entrepreneursabove,thisresistancedoesnotconstitute anorganizedpublicdiscourse,andseemstobe overshadowedbyenforcedmanifestations of"popularconsent"intheformof"woman'sbusiness,"sexualizedsecretary,housewife career,orpersonal"know-how."

FORGINGAWAYOF LIFE

Thishegemonicmodeldidnotariseina vacuum:favorableconditionsforitsrapiddevel-

opmentappearedpreciselywhenRussiansocietywas rejectingthediscursiveregimeof socialism(withitsstatecontrolofpersonallife),butnottheideologyofmalechauvinism,

and,furthermore,was embracingneoliberalmarketvalues. Ifwe examinetheworldof newRussianbusinessfroma genderedperspectiveweseeseveraluniquefeaturescharacteristicofpostsocialistsociety.Theseincludethealmostcompletemasculinizationof "serious"businessandtheparalleldevelopmentofthe"woman'sbusiness."Thissituationrecallsto an extentthesocialistdivisionoflabor,wheremenoccupiedthemain

institutionalandstructuralpositionsinpoliticsand"serious"professions,whilewomen

tendedtocongregateinprofessionslackingprestigeandpower.

Ifexaminedfromtheperspectiveofneoliberalideology,theworldofnewRussian businessappearsfarfromunique,afterall. Forexample,theprofessionalizationpersonallife,time,andspace,as wellas thepersonalizationofthebusinesssphere,follows thegeneraltrendthatFredricJamesoncalls "theculturallogicoflatecapitalism,"the centraltenetofwhichis theinfiltrationofthe"marketprinciple"intothemostprivate

spheresofhumanexistenceand themostremotecornersoftheglobe.7'Inthissense,the

newnormativemodelofa truecareeristmaybe seenas a localmanifestationofa global phenomenonTo. understandthelogicoftheselocalandglobalprocesseswemaycompare themwithanalogousprocessesinJapanesecorporatebusiness.

LargeJapanesecorporationsspendbillionsofdollarsonregulargroupvisitsbytheir

maleemployeestosuchgeishaclubsas MizuShobai.72Mostemployeesareexpectedto participateinthesevisitscollectively,andtheyspendmanyhoursinsuchclubsafterwork,

severaltimesa week,yearafteryear.Theofficialfunctionalistexplanation,popularized byJapanesecorporations,isthatsuchvisitsaffordmenwhoworkinthestressfulworldof

70Shark,"Boss,est'liubov'."

7FredericJameson,"Postmodernism,or,TheCulturalLogicofLateCapitalism,"NewLeftReview146(July- August1984):52-92.

72AnneAllison,Nightwork:Sexuality,Pleasure,andCorporateMasculinityina TokyoHostessClub(Chicago, 1994),150.

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90 AlexeiYurchak

corporatebusinessa chancetorelaxafter dayofwork. Such"timeoff"restorestheir

energy,relievestension,andstrengthensmalebonding.However,accordingtoanthropologistAnneAllison,whostudiesJapanesecorporateculture,thisfunctionalistexplanationhidesa moreimportantagenda.TheseclubsservetheinterestsofJapanesecorporate businessina muchlargersensebyhelpingtodefinethenormsofmalesubjectivityand maledesiresnotthrougha dichotomyofworkandfamily,butthroughthepermanenceof thecorporatesphere.73Amanwhohasbeensubjectifiedinthiswayisconstantlyina state ofbeing"atwork,"bothduringandafterworkinghours.He is devotedtothecorporate businessnotsomuchbecausehefeelsresponsiblefora commoncause,loveshisjob,oris afraidtoloseit,butbecausehecannotimaginehimselfoutsidethatcorporatesphere.The formationofsuchsubjectsservesnotonlytheinterestsoftheirfirmsbutalso,muchmore

broadly,theinterestsofthemarketas a wayoflife.

ThenormativefigureofthetruecareeristinRussianbusiness,as inJapanesecorporateculture,isdefinednotonlythroughmaledominationandchauvinismbutalsothrough thespatial,temporal,and emotionalcontinuityofbusiness. This manis involvedin businessall thetime:atwork,inthefamily,indivorce,in love,insex,infriendship,at leisure,andsoon. Thisneoliberalidealofa successfullifeiseasiertoobjectifyandcontrol

accordingtotheprinciples,goals,andethicsofthemarketIt.notonlygivescertainactors advantagesinthesphereofbusinessbutalsoperformstheworkofa gradualcommodification andmarketizationofall spheresofhumanexistence.Itis hardlysurprisingthatthenew careeristperceivesbusinessprinciplesas revelationsaboutnothinglessthanthemeaning

oflife. To quoteMikhailVishniakov,thepresidentofTrinitycorporation,"I cameto understandthemostimportantthingsabout life and people whenI starteddoing business."74

Theriseofthefigureofthe"truecareerist"revealstheironyofthequotefromKar'era

thatappearsintheepigraphtothisessay:"There'sno timefortrivialitieswhenyou're forgingyourcareer."75Indeed,whileyouareforging,moldinga careerforyourself,you arealsoforging,orcounterfeiting,a neoliberalmodelofmeaningfullifethatlooksalmost like"therealthing,"onlywithoutthe"trivialities"ofhumanethicaldilemmas.

73Ibid.

74IrinaBuilova,"Prozhizn'iavseponial,kogdazanialsiabiznesom,"Kar'era,1998,no.6. 75Builova,"S chuvstvomglubokogoneudovletvoreniia."

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