Cultural Change in East-Central European and Eurasian Spaces : Post-1989 Revisions and Re-imaginings

This book weaves together research on cultural change in Central Europe and Eurasia: notably, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. Examining massive cultural shifts in erstwhile state-communist nations since 1989, the authors analyze how the region is moving in both freeing and restrictive directions. They map out these directions in such arenas as LGBTQ protest cultures, new Russian fiction, Polish memory of Jewish heritage, ethnic nationalisms, revival of minority cultures, and loss of state support for museums. From a comparison of gender constructions in 30 national constitutions to an exploration of a cross-national artistic collaborative, this insightful book illuminates how the region’s denizens are swimming in changing tides of transnational cultures, resulting in new hybridities and innovations. Arguing for a decolonization of the region and for the significance of culture, the book appeals to a wide, interdisciplinary readership interested in cultural change, post-communist societies, and globalization. Acknowledgments Contents 1 Mosaics of Change Relatively Autonomous Cultures in System Changes Culture Moves, Culture Stalls A Preview References Part IEurope and National Imaginations 2 Contemporary Ukraine: Borderland—Bloodland—Neverland? Ukraine as a Borderland, or How Comfortable Is It to Live on a Bridge? Ukraine as a Bloodland: Stalin, Hitler, and Donbas Ukraine as a Neverland: Can a Child’s Utopia Offer an Alternative? Conclusion References 3 The Dynamics of Cultural Change in Northeastern Poland: The Role of Ethnicity in Local Activism The History of the Suwałki Region Ośrodek Pogranicze as a Cultural Change Agent The Problematics of the “Ethnicity Standpoint” References 4 “Slavs and Tatars”: Introducing a New Eurocentric Narrative Introducing “Slavs and Tatars”: The Name Introducing Slavs and Tatars: The Region Language and the Book as a Never-Ending Story Introducing Slavs and Tatars: The Work Cycles Story of Success: Enshadowed Biographies Art as Vehicle to Reach an Audience A Eurocentric Narrative Slavs and Tatars’s Project as Alternative Narrative Conclusion References Part IIReligion and Memory 5 The Vicissitudes of Jewish Memory in Post-Communist Poland Twenty Years Later... Recalling a Jewish Past Changing Frames Przeworsk: Polish Mythologies at the Jewish Cemetery The Exclusion of Memory and Conspiracy of Silence Concluding Thoughts References 6 Reviving the Legacy: Variant Trends of Islamic Revivalism in Kazakhstan The Historical Context Theoretical Basis of Islamic Revivalism Cultural Identity Theory Context Resource Mobilization Theory Islamic Revivalism in Post-Soviet Space Prominent Trends Engaged with “Islamic Revivalism” in Kazakhstan “Official” Revivalism: A Trend Supported by the State “Unofficial” Revivalism: A Moderate Trend Unofficial Revivalism: A “Radical” Trend Islamic Revivalism and the State Response Conclusion References Part IIIConsumption, Popular Culture, and Media 7 Global Popular Culture for Local Infrastructures: Migration of Texts and Problems of Transferability (the Polish Case) Introduction Differences in Popular Experience Fragmentary and Conservative Modernization: Transfer, Imagination, and Media Practice Problems of Transferability: The Case of Popular Erotica Conclusion References 8 Bread, Meat, and Water and the Taste of Globalization: New Trends in Food Consumption and Production in Poland The Homespun and Exquisite Tastes of the PRL Changes in Taste as an Effect of System Transformation Hybridity of Consumer Culture in Poland Bread, Meat, and Water Bread Meat Water Old Polish Traditional Cuisine and the Latest Habits Conclusion References 9 New Words, Old Meanings: “Migrant Integration” in Contemporary Russian Media Discourse Introduction Research Methodology “Migrant Integration” in RG: Findings Breadth of Coverage of the Issue Access to the Discourse Topics Discursive Strategies Polarization Cultural Essentialization Blaming the Victim Negative Representation Objectivization Assumed Self-Evidence Linguistic Devices Conclusion References Part IVLiterary Transformations 10 The Autobiographical Prose of Anita Liepa: Tracing the Currents of Recent Latvian History Life-Writing as a Project of Social and Individual Memory (Re)Construction Life Story as Part of History Intersecting Chronologies of Life and Text Conclusion References 11 Decolonizing Upper Silesia: Reclaiming and Validating a Hybrid Culture in Scholarly and Literary Discourses Decolonial Perspectives on the Geo-History of the Region: Mapping the Territory Decolonizing and Re-Imagining Upper Silesia in Discourses on Language and Literature Struggle for Recognition of the Upper Silesian Language Decolonization via the Development of Literature Reclaiming the Multicultural Heritage of Silesia New Literary Canons of Upper Silesian Literature Publishers and Their Role in the Development of Upper Silesian Literature Why Write in the Upper Silesian Language? Upper Silesian Literature as a Neo-Regional, Post-dependent Cultural Project Decolonization by Writers and Scholars Re-Indigenizing Upper Silesia? References 12 Developments in Russian Literature: Examining the Pre- and Post-Soviet Prose of Kazakh-Russian Writer Anatoly Kim Early Prose From Short Story to Grand Novel Different Universes, Different Perspectives Eclecticism and Research into Spirituality Conclusion References Part VPolitical and Activist Cultures 13 “Woman” in Cultural Reconstruction Since 1989 What Needed to Transform? National Constitutions in Comparison Framing Women as Rights-Bearers Rights “Fields”: Family, Economic, Politics The Religion-Nation Nexus Transnational Cultures and Culture Wars Conclusions: Cultures Across Change and Continuity References 14 Contesting Pasts and Futures: Notes on Queer Politics in Neoliberal Poland The Political Condition(ing) of the LGBT Communities The Normalization of a Queer Time Conclusion References 15 Photo Essay: CULTURESHUTDOWN—Preserving the Commons References 16 Weaving the Strands Reference Index