Dropping out of socialism : ǂthe ǂcreation of alternative spheres in the Soviet bloc

Acknowledgments -- Introduction: to drop or not to drop? / Juliane Fürst -- Dropping out in spirit -- The biography of a scandal : experimenting with yoga during Romanian late socialism / Irina Costache -- The imaginary elsewhere of the hippies in soviet Estonia / Terje Toomistu -- Art and "madness" : weapons of the marginal during socialism in Eastern Europe / Maria-Alina Asavei -- Student activists and Yugoslavia's Islamic revival : Sarajevo, 1970-1975 / Madigan Andrea Fichter -- Intellectual dropping out -- Reader questionnaires in Samizdat journals : who owns Aleksandr Blok? / Josephine von Zitzewitz -- The spirit of pacifism : social and cultural origins of the grassroots peace movement in the late soviet period / Irina Gordeeva -- Dropping out of socialism with the commodore 64 : Polish youth, home computers, and social identities / Patryk Wasiak -- Dropping out in style -- "We all live in a yellow submarine" : dropping out in a Leningrad commune / Juliane Fürst -- Ignoring dictatorship? : punk rock, subculture, and entanglement in the GDR / Jeff Hayton -- "Under any form of government, I am partisan" : the Siberian underground from anti-soviet to national-bolshevist provocation / Ewgeniy Kasakow -- Dropping out economics -- Living in the material world : money in the soviet rock underground / Anna Kan -- Socialism's empty promise : housing vacancy and squatting in the German Democratic Republic / Peter Angus Mitchell -- Conclusion: dropping out of socialism? : a Western perspective / Joachim Häberlen -- Bibliography -- About the contributors.;The essays in this collection make up the first study of "dropping out" of late state socialism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. From Leningrad intellectuals and Berlin squatters to Bosnian Muslim madrassa students and Romanian yogis, groups and individuals across the Eastern Bloc rejected mainstream socialist culture. In the process, multiple drop-out cultures were created, with their own spaces, music, values, style, slang, ideology and networks. Under socialism, this phenomenon was little-known outside the socialist sphere. Only very recently has it been possible to reconstruct it through archival work, oral histories and memoirs. Such a diverse set of subcultures demands a multi-disciplinary approach: the essays in this volume are written by historians, anthropologists and scholars of literature, cultural and gender studies. The history of these movements not only shows us a side of state socialist life that was barely known in the west. It also sheds new light on the demise and eventual collapse of late socialism, and raises important questions about the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western subcultures. -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: To Drop Or Not To Drop? / Juliane Fürst -- Dropping Out In Spirit -- The Biography Of A Scandal : Experimenting With Yoga During Romanian Late Socialism / Irina Costache -- The Imaginary Elsewhere Of The Hippies In Soviet Estonia / Terje Toomistu -- Art And Madness : Weapons Of The Marginal During Socialism In Eastern Europe / Maria-alina Asavei -- Student Activists And Yugoslavia's Islamic Revival : Sarajevo, 1970-1975 / Madigan Andrea Fichter -- Intellectual Dropping Out -- Reader Questionnaires In Samizdat Journals : Who Owns Aleksandr Blok? / Josephine Von Zitzewitz -- The Spirit Of Pacifism : Social And Cultural Origins Of The Grassroots Peace Movement In The Late Soviet Period / Irina Gordeeva -- Dropping Out Of Socialism With The Commodore 64 : Polish Youth, Home Computers, And Social Identities / Patryk Wasiak -- Dropping Out In Style -- We All Live In A Yellow Submarine : Dropping Out In A Leningrad Commune / Juliane Fürst -- Ignoring Dictatorship? : Punk Rock, Subculture, And Entanglement In The Gdr / Jeff Hayton -- Under Any Form Of Government, I Am Partisan : The Siberian Underground From Anti-soviet To National-bolshevist Provocation / Ewgeniy Kasakow -- Dropping Out Economics -- Living In The Material World : Money In The Soviet Rock Underground / Anna Kan -- Socialism's Empty Promise : Housing Vacancy And Squatting In The German Democratic Republic / Peter Angus Mitchell -- Conclusion: Dropping Out Of Socialism? : A Western Perspective / Joachim Häberlen -- Bibliography -- About The Contributors. Edited By Juliane Fürst And Josie Mclellan. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The essays in this collection make up the first study of "dropping out" of late state socialism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. From Leningrad intellectuals and Berlin squatters to Bosnian Muslim madrassa students and Romanian yogis, groups and individuals across the Eastern Bloc rejected mainstream socialist culture. In the process, multiple drop-out cultures were created, with their own spaces, music, values, style, slang, ideology and networks. Under socialism, this phenomenon was little-known outside the socialist sphere. Only very recently has it been possible to reconstruct it through archival work, oral histories and memoirs. Such a diverse set of subcultures demands a multi-disciplinary approach: the essays in this volume are written by historians, anthropologists and scholars of literature, cultural and gender studies. The history of these movements not only shows us a side of state socialist life that was barely known in the west. It also sheds new light on the demise and eventual collapse of late socialism, and raises important questions about the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western subcultures. -- Publisher Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 10 DROPPING OUT IN SPIRIT 30 The Biography of a Scandal 32 The Imaginary Elsewhere of the Hippies in Soviet Estonia 50 Art and “Madness” 72 Student Activists and Yugoslavia’s Islamic Revival 94 DROPPING OUT INTELLECTUALLY 114 Reader Questionnaires in Samizdat Journals 116 The Spirit of Pacifism 138 Dropping Out of Socialism with the Commodore 64 166 DROPPING OUT IN STYLE 186 “We All Live in a Yellow Submarine” 188 Ignoring Dictatorship? Punk Rock, Subculture, and Entanglement in the GDR 216 “Under Any Form of Government, I Am Partisan” 242 DROPPING OUT ECONOMICS 262 Living in the Material World 264 Socialism’s Empty Promise 286 Conclusion 312 Bibliography 328 Index 336 About the Contributors 350 This multidisciplinary collection of essays examines alternative subcultures in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union during the era of late socialism. The contributors analyze how these marginal communities rejected mainstream socialist culture, sought ideological and physical space from the state, and contributed to the demise of the USSR.