The things of life : materiality in late Soviet Russia / Alexey Golubev.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Golubev, Alexey, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Material culture--Soviet Union.

Material culture.

Space--Social aspects--Soviet Union.

Space.

Social aspects.

Soviet Union--Social life and customs.

Soviet Union.

Manners and customs.

Physical Description:

xv, 220 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, New York : Cornell University Press, 2020.

Summary:

"The Things of Life is a social and cultural history of material objects and spaces during the late socialist era. It traces the biographies of Soviet things, examining how the material world of the late Soviet period influenced Soviet people's gender roles, habitual choices, social trajectories, and imaginary aspirations. Instead of seeing political structures and discursive frameworks as the only mechanisms for shaping Soviet citizens, Alexey Golubev explores how Soviet people used objects and spaces to substantiate their individual and collective selves. In doing so, Golubev rediscovers what helped Soviet citizens make sense of their selves and the world around them, ranging from space rockets and model aircraft to heritage buildings, and from home gyms to the hallways and basements of post-Stalinist housing. Through these various materialist fascinations, The Things of Life considers the ways in which many Soviet people subverted the efforts of the Communist regime to transform them into a rationally organized, disciplined, and easily controllable community. Golubev argues that late Soviet materiality had an immense impact on the organization of the Soviet historical and spatial imagination. His approach also makes clear the ways in which the Soviet self was an integral part of the global experience of modernity rather than simply an outcome of Communist propaganda. Through its focus on materiality and personhood, The Things of Life expands our understanding of what made Soviet people and society 'Soviet'" -- Dust jacket.

"This book offers an important new perspective on late Soviet society by focusing on a social history of Soviet material objects and spaces during the late socialist era"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Techno-Utopian Visions Of Soviet Intellectuals After Stalin

2. Time In 1:72 Scale: The Plastic Historicity Of Soviet Models

3. History In Wood: The Search For Historical Authenticity In North Russia

4. When Spaces Of Transit Fail Their Designers: Social Antagonisms Of Soviet Stairwells And Streets

5. The Men Of Steel: Repairing And Empowering Soviet Bodies With Iron

6. Ordinary And Paranormal: The Soviet Television Set.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-216) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Golubev, Alexey, The things of life

ISBN:

9781501752889

150175288X

OCLC:

1138669403