220132 Post-Soviet Nostalgia in Russian political discourses and popular culture (Übung Sprache Russisch) (S) (SoSe 2024)

Over the past 20 years in Russia, reference to Soviet history and legacy has become an important part of state propaganda. For the Putin regime, the USSR is the basis of political power (Russia is often proclaimed the successor and heir of the USSR), as well as a significant resource of real and symbolic power (Victory Day, which has become the main national holiday in Russia in recent years, is a vivid example). Parallel to this, post-Soviet nostalgia both encouraged by the authorities and provided at the grassroots level is widely spread in contemporary Russia. Images of the USSR in popular culture appeal to non-conflict and idyllic perception of the Soviet past. The seminar is aimed at considering various forms of post-soviet nostalgia, not limited to Russia, but in a broader context of post-soviet area. During the seminar we will read and discuss sources and research papers on the complexities, contradictions and conflicts of nostalgia in political, cultural, social and economic spheres. The course will be conducted in English and Russian.