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Imagining the West in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union (Paperback)
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Imagining the West in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union (Paperback)
Series: Russian and East European Studies
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This volume presents work from an international group of writers
who explore conceptualizations of what defined \u201cEast\u201d and
\u201cWest\u201d in Eastern Europe, imperial Russia, and the Soviet
Union. The contributors analyze the effects of transnational
interactions on ideology, politics, and cultural production. They
reveal that the roots of an East/West cultural divide were present
many years prior to the rise of socialism and the cold war.The
chapters offer insights into the complex stages of adoption and
rejection of Western ideals in areas such as architecture, travel
writings, film, music, health care, consumer products, political
propaganda, and human rights. They describe a process of mental
mapping whereby individuals \u201ccaptured and possessed\u201d
Western identity through cultural encounters and developed their
own interpretations from these experiences. Despite these
imaginaries, political and intellectual elites devised responses of
resistance, defiance, and counterattack to defy Western
impositions.Socialists believed that their cultural forms and
collectivist strategies offered morally and materially better lives
for the masses and the true path to a modern society. Their
sentiments toward the West, however, fluctuated between superiority
and inferiority. But in material terms, Western products, industry,
and technology, became the ever-present yardstick by which progress
was measured. The contributors conclude that the commodification of
the necessities of modern life and the rise of consumerism in the
twentieth century made it impossible for communist states to meet
the demands of their citizens. The West eventually won the battle
of supply and demand, and thus the battle for cultural influence.
General
Imprint: |
University of Pittsburgh Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Russian and East European Studies |
Release date: |
November 2010 |
First published: |
November 2010 |
Editors: |
Gyorgy Peteri
|
Dimensions: |
230 x 150 x 24mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
336 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8229-6125-3 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8229-6125-3 |
Barcode: |
9780822961253 |
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