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""Life has become more joyous, comrades.""--Josef Stalin,
1936Stalin's Russia is best known for its political repression,
forced collectivization and general poverty. Caviar with Champagne
presents an altogether different aspect of Stalin's rule that has
never been fully analyzed - the creation of a luxury goods society.
At the same time as millions were queuing for bread and starving,
drastic changes took place in the cultural and economic policy of
the country, which had important consequences for the development
of Soviet material culture and the promotion of its ideals of
consumption.The 1930s witnessed the first serious attempt to create
a genuinely Soviet commercial culture that would rival the West.
Government ministers took exploratory trips to America to learn
about everything from fast food hamburgers to men's suits in
Macy's. The government made intricate plans to produce high-quality
luxury goods en masse, such as chocolate, caviar, perfume, liquor
and assorted novelties. Perhaps the best symbol of this new
cultural order was Soviet Champagne, which launched in 1936 with
plans to produce millions of bottles by the end of the decade.
Drawing on previously neglected archival material, Jukka Gronow
examines how such new pleasures were advertised and enjoyed. He
interprets Soviet-styled luxury goods as a form of kitsch and
examines the ideological underpinnings behind their production.This
new attitude toward consumption was accompanied by the promotion of
new manners of everyday life. The process was not without serious
ideological contradictions. Ironically, a factory worker living in
the United States - the largest capitalist society in the world -
would have beenhard-pressed to afford caviar or champagne for a
special occasion in the 1930s, but a Soviet worker theoretically
could (assuming supplies were in stock). The Soviet example is
unique since the luxury culture had to be created entirely from
scratch, and the process was taken extremely seriously. Even the
smallest decisions, such as the design of perfume bottles, were
made at the highest level of government by the People's Commissars.
Sometimes the interpretation of 'luxury goods' bordered on the
comical, such as the push to produce Soviet ketchup and wurst. This
fascinating look at consumer culture under Stalin offers a new
perspective on the Soviet Union of the 1930s, as well as new
interpretations on consumption.
Kaj Ilmonen was a pioneer in the third wave of the sociology of
consumption. This book provides a balanced overview of the
sociology of consumption, arguing that the enthusiasm of 'the third
wave' exaggerated the role of the symbolic and imaginary at the
expense of the materiality of human societies.
Key debates of contemporary cultural sociology - the rise of the
'cultural omnivore', the fate of classical 'highbrow' culture, the
popularization, commercialization and globalization of culture -
deal with temporal changes. Yet, systematic research about these
processes is scarce due to the lack of suitable longitudinal data.
This book explores these questions through the lens of a crucial
institution of cultural mediation - the culture sections in quality
European newspapers - from 1960 to 2010. Starting from the
framework of cultural stratification and employing systematic
content analysis both quantitative and qualitative of more than
13,000 newspaper articles, Enter Culture, Exit Arts? presents a
synthetic yet empirically rich and detailed account of cultural
transformation in Europe over the last five decades. It shows how
classifications and hierarchies of culture have changed in course
of the process towards increased cultural heterogeneity.
Furthermore, it conceptualizes the key trends of rising popular
culture and declining highbrow arts as two simultaneous processes:
the one of legitimization of popular culture and the other of
popularization of traditional legitimate culture, both important
for the loosening of the boundary between 'highbrow' and 'popular'.
Through careful comparative analysis and illustrative snapshots
into the specific socio-historical contexts in which the newspapers
and their representations of culture are embedded - in Finland,
France, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the UK - the book reveals the key
patterns and diversity of European variations in the transformation
of cultural hierarchies since the 1960s. The book is a collective
endeavour of a large-scale international research project active
between 2013 and 2018.
Key debates of contemporary cultural sociology - the rise of the
'cultural omnivore', the fate of classical 'highbrow' culture, the
popularization, commercialization and globalization of culture -
deal with temporal changes. Yet, systematic research about these
processes is scarce due to the lack of suitable longitudinal data.
This book explores these questions through the lens of a crucial
institution of cultural mediation - the culture sections in quality
European newspapers - from 1960 to 2010. Starting from the
framework of cultural stratification and employing systematic
content analysis both quantitative and qualitative of more than
13,000 newspaper articles, Enter Culture, Exit Arts? presents a
synthetic yet empirically rich and detailed account of cultural
transformation in Europe over the last five decades. It shows how
classifications and hierarchies of culture have changed in course
of the process towards increased cultural heterogeneity.
Furthermore, it conceptualizes the key trends of rising popular
culture and declining highbrow arts as two simultaneous processes:
the one of legitimization of popular culture and the other of
popularization of traditional legitimate culture, both important
for the loosening of the boundary between 'highbrow' and 'popular'.
Through careful comparative analysis and illustrative snapshots
into the specific socio-historical contexts in which the newspapers
and their representations of culture are embedded - in Finland,
France, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the UK - the book reveals the key
patterns and diversity of European variations in the transformation
of cultural hierarchies since the 1960s. The book is a collective
endeavour of a large-scale international research project active
between 2013 and 2018.
The modern society of consumption is a society of fashion. Fashion
has extended its influence over various fields of social life and,
together with taste, become central to our understanding of the
inner dynamics of any modern society.
The Sociology of Taste looks at the role of taste - or the
aesthetic reflection - in society at large and in modern society in
particular. Taking case studies from social life, for example
eating and food culture, it illustrates the role of fashion in the
formation of collective taste.
The modern society of consumption is a society of fashion. Fashion has extended its influence over various fields of social life and, together with taste, become central to our understanding of the inner dynamics of any modern society. The Sociology of Taste looks at the role of taste - or the aesthetic reflection - in society at large and in modern society in particular. Taking case studies from social life, for example eating and food culture, it illustrates the role of fashion in the formation of collective taste.
Kaj Ilmonen was a pioneer in the third wave of the sociology of
consumption. This book provides a balanced overview of the
sociology of consumption, arguing that the enthusiasm of 'the third
wave' exaggerated the role of the symbolic and imaginary at the
expense of the materiality of human societies.
Karl Kautsky was, for three decades before the First World War, the
main authority on the intellectual heritage of Marx and Engels. His
interpretation of Marx's Capital and the basic laws and
contradictions of capitalism was the reference point for both the
foes and allies of Social Democracy.
The chapters in this volume concentrate on the mundane and ordinary
eating practices of the everyday, showing how these are linked to
change in modern society. The contributors present a collection of
systematic empirical results from a unique study based on
representative samples of four Nordic populations - Denmark,
Finland, Norway and Sweden - conducted at two time points, 15 years
apart. The results of this unprecedented longitudinal survey leads
the contributors to question many commonly held beliefs about the
presumed and feared collapse of the traditional eating habits,
family meals, and regular meal patterns. As the social organization
of eating is in many ways related to developments in other social
institutions such as family, education, and work, chapters provide
interesting insights into contemporary society, with key topics
selected for scrutiny including gender, food types, diet and
health, and cooking practices. Additionally, the chapters highlight
changes in the gendering of food practices and signs of increasing
informality around meals.
""Life has become more joyous, comrades.""--Josef Stalin,
1936Stalin's Russia is best known for its political repression,
forced collectivization and general poverty. Caviar with Champagne
presents an altogether different aspect of Stalin's rule that has
never been fully analyzed - the creation of a luxury goods society.
At the same time as millions were queuing for bread and starving,
drastic changes took place in the cultural and economic policy of
the country, which had important consequences for the development
of Soviet material culture and the promotion of its ideals of
consumption.The 1930s witnessed the first serious attempt to create
a genuinely Soviet commercial culture that would rival the West.
Government ministers took exploratory trips to America to learn
about everything from fast food hamburgers to men's suits in
Macy's. The government made intricate plans to produce high-quality
luxury goods en masse, such as chocolate, caviar, perfume, liquor
and assorted novelties. Perhaps the best symbol of this new
cultural order was Soviet Champagne, which launched in 1936 with
plans to produce millions of bottles by the end of the decade.
Drawing on previously neglected archival material, Jukka Gronow
examines how such new pleasures were advertised and enjoyed. He
interprets Soviet-styled luxury goods as a form of kitsch and
examines the ideological underpinnings behind their production.This
new attitude toward consumption was accompanied by the promotion of
new manners of everyday life. The process was not without serious
ideological contradictions. Ironically, a factory worker living in
the United States - the largest capitalist society in the world -
would have beenhard-pressed to afford caviar or champagne for a
special occasion in the 1930s, but a Soviet worker theoretically
could (assuming supplies were in stock). The Soviet example is
unique since the luxury culture had to be created entirely from
scratch, and the process was taken extremely seriously. Even the
smallest decisions, such as the design of perfume bottles, were
made at the highest level of government by the People's Commissars.
Sometimes the interpretation of 'luxury goods' bordered on the
comical, such as the push to produce Soviet ketchup and wurst. This
fascinating look at consumer culture under Stalin offers a new
perspective on the Soviet Union of the 1930s, as well as new
interpretations on consumption.
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