From Hope to Escape
Post-Soviet Russian Memory and Identity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2155948 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christopher Ohan (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 61-75 |
| Publication date | 2008-03-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History and Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0275-7206 • E-ISSN: 1477-2612 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02757200802042553 |
| OpenAlex | W2094821783 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 8 |
Drawing on letters written by citizens of the USSR to US Congressman James Wright following his 1987 congressional visit and Soviet television appearance as well as follow‐up interviews conducted by this author with many of the same individuals in 2002–2004, this paper will recount the memories of several Muscovites and argue that although the western collective memory of the Cold War is one of victory, the individual accounts of Russians reveals a created memory of the Soviet past which, when confronted with the dire socioeconomic conditions that exist in post‐1991 Russia, leads to a crisis of identity. Keywords: Post‐SovietMemoryIdentityCold War Notes [1] Most Russians experienced a significant reduction in their real wages after 1991. For example, the mean real wage in 1995 was less than half of that in 1991 (Gerber and Hout Citation1998: 21–23). [2] This attitude is consistent with other studies (Carnaghan Citation2007: 10). An All‐Russia Center study also shows that nearly 80 per cent of respondents say that order is more important that democracy (VTSIOM Citation1997: 52). [3] Olga Lisyutenko seems, in fact, to still be influenced by Soviet propaganda. For example, while she says the USA in 2001 invaded Afghanistan out of revenge; the Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to help the government; it was an act of charity, not violence (interview, 1 December 2001). [4] This sentiment is borne out by Gerber and Hout who state, “Age remained a highly significant net determinant of earning, although not as a marker for experience, as it usually is in Western‐style economies” (Citation1998: 32). [5] Other research findings confirm the fact that the majority of those unable to adjust to the economic and social changes in Russia since the collapse of the USSR have been senior citizens or those attempting to live on a state‐sponsored pension. See the results of a 2000 New Russia Barometer survey of the Centre for the Study of Public Policy, University of Strathclyde (Rose Citation2003: 102–103). [6] Igor Trunov, a lawyer in Moscow, has suggested that human life in Russia is not valued. He recently computed the value of a person based on laws for compensating injuries or death in particular countries. According to his computation, a Russian is worth US$118,000 while a US citizen is worth US$3.2 million (Myers Citation2007). [7] According to a published letter by concerned architects, “Several buildings from the Soviet avant‐garde of the 1920s, recognized as a major contribution of Russia to the development of 20th century architecture, are living their final days. All of the works of Melnikov have been disfigured and the demolition of one of his masterpieces, the factory club ‘Kauchuk’, has already been planned. The degradation of Moscow's world‐famous subway stations from the 1930s to 1950s is already happening. Due to unresolved engineering and technical issues, the renowned Mayakovski station is gravely deteriorating. Add to that the totally unjustified demolition of emblematic Moscow buildings such as ‘Voentorg’, the Hotel Moscow, as well as the threatened demolition of ‘Detski Mir’ and the Hotel Peking” (Moscow Architecture Preservation Society Citation2004). [8] The same report states that “More than 75 million people in these post‐socialist regions fell into poverty between 1989 and the mid 1990s as wages dipped for most people to less than 50 per cent of their previous earnings” (Schecter Citation2003: 269–270). [9] She also found that those she interviewed were cynical and hopeless about Russia obtaining good government (Carnaghan Citation2001: 359
Aesthetics · Art · Genealogy · Identity (music · Political science · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · History · Korean Peninsula Historical and Political Studies · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Psychology · Soviet and Russian History
| Citations per year | 0.1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2016 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |