Cosmonaut : A Cultural History / Cathleen S. Lewis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lewis, Cathleen S., 1958- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Astronautics--Russia (Federation)--History.

Astronautics.

Astronautics--Social aspects--Russia (Federation).

Astronautics--Social aspects--Soviet Union.

Astronautics--Soviet Union--History.

Astronauts--Russia (Federation)--History.

Astronauts.

Astronauts--Soviet Union--History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (323 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Gainesville, FL : University of Florida Press, [2023]

Summary:

"How the public image of the Soviet cosmonaut was designed and reimagined over timeIn this book, Cathleen Lewis discusses how the public image of the Soviet cosmonaut developed beginning in the 1950s and the ways this icon has been reinterpreted throughout the years and in contemporary Russia. Compiling material and cultural representations of the cosmonaut program, Lewis provides a new perspective on the story of Soviet spaceflight, highlighting how the government has celebrated figures such as Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova through newspapers, radio, parades, monuments, museums, films, and even postage stamps and lapel pins. Lewis's analysis shows that during the Space Race, Nikita Khrushchev mobilized cosmonaut stories and images to symbolize the forward-looking Soviet state and distract from the costs of the Cold War. Public perceptions shifted after the first Soviet spaceflight fatality and failure to reach the Moon, yet cosmonaut imagery was still effective propaganda, evolving through the USSR's collapse in 1991 and seen today in Vladimir Putin's government cooperation for a film on the 1985 rescue of the Salyut 7 space station. Looking closely at the process through which Russians continue to reexamine their past, Lewis argues that the cultural memory of spaceflight remains especially potent among other collective Soviet memories"-- Provided by publisher.

"Examining material and cultural representations of the cosmonaut program, Cathleen Lewis discusses how the public image of the Soviet cosmonaut developed beginning in the 1950s and the ways this icon has been reinterpreted throughout the years and in contemporary Russia"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

The Birth of the Cosmonaut: "Real Cosmonaut Lives" as a Guide to Youth, the Nation, and the World

The Women: The Collison of Expectations in Domestic and International Politics

New Cultures of the Cosmonaut: Collectibles, Monuments and Film

A Removal and Three Deaths: The Declining Official Need for Heroes

Outpost in the Near Frontier: Orbiting Space Stations during the Era of Stagnation

Remembrance of Hopes Past: Nostalgia and Editing Public History

Epilogue.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781683404231

1683404238

9781683403814

1683403819

9781683403944

1683403940

OCLC:

1358757591