Soviet and Post-Soviet Identities (Paperback)

Mark Bassin

ISBN 10: 1316631974 / ISBN 13: 9781316631973

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2016

About this Item

Paperback. Since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, questions of identity have dominated the culture not only of Russia, but of all the countries of the former Soviet bloc. This timely collection examines the ways in which cultural activities such as fiction, TV, cinema, architecture and exhibitions have addressed these questions and also describes other cultural flashpoints, from attitudes to language to the use of passports. It discusses definitions of political and cultural nationalism, as well as the myths, institutions and practices that moulded and expressed national identity. From post-Soviet recollections of food shortages to the attempts by officials to control popular religion, it analyses a variety of unexpected and compelling topics to offer fresh insights about this key area of world culture. Illustrated with numerous photographs, it presents the results of recent research in an accessible and lively way. This collection offers a fresh look at post-Soviet Russia and Eurasia and at the Soviet historical background that shaped the present. It focuses on national identity and particularly on the ways in which this was understood in the last decades of Soviet power and has been redefined since 1991. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781316631973

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Soviet and Post-Soviet Identities (Paperback)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1316631974
• ISBN 13: 9781316631973
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, questions of identity have dominated the culture not only of Russia, but of all the countries of the former Soviet bloc. This timely collection examines the ways in which cultural activities such as fiction, TV, cinema, architecture and exhibitions have addressed these questions and also describes other cultural flashpoints, from attitudes to language to the use of passports. It discusses definitions of political and cultural nationalism, as well as the myths, institutions and practices that moulded and expressed national identity. From post-Soviet recollections of food shortages to the attempts by officials to control popular religion, it analyses a variety of unexpected and compelling topics to offer fresh insights about this key area of world culture. Illustrated with numerous photographs, it presents the results of recent research in an accessible and lively way.

About the Authors

Mark Bassin is Research Professor in the History of Ideas at the Center for Baltic and East European Studies, Södertörn University, Stockholm.

Catriona Kelly is Professor of Russian at the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of New College, Oxford.