Soviet Americana: The Cultural History of Russian and Ukrainian Americanists (Library of Modern Russia)

"The Americanist community played a vital role in the Cold War, as well as in large part directing the cultural consumption of Soviet society and shaping perceptions of the US. To shed light onto this important, yet under-studied, academic community, Sergei Zhuk here explores the personal histories of prominent Soviet Americanists, considering the myriad cultural influences - from John Wayne's bravado in the film Stagecoach to Miles Davis - that shaped their identities, careers and academic interests. Zhuk's compelling account draws on a wide range of understudied archival documents, periodicals, letters and diaries as well as more than 100 exclusive interviews with prominent Americanists to take the reader from the post-war origins of American studies, via the extremes of the Cold War, thaw and perestroika, to Putin's Russia. Soviet Americana is a comprehensive insight into shifting attitudes towards the US throughout the twentieth century and an essential resource for all Soviet and Cold War historians."-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 9 Copyright 10 Contents 13 List of Figures 17 Acknowledgements 19 Preface 23 Introduction 29 Amerikanistika in Soviet Knowledge Production 32 Historiographical Context 34 Sources and Structure 37 1. The Cold War Context of Knowledge Production and American Studies in the USSR 41 Amerikanistika as Soviet Area Studies of the Cold War 42 The Cold War and Academic Exchanges 46 Soviet Institutions of American Studies during Detente 53 Part I: The Postwar Generation 59 2. World War II and Inventing America on the Borders of Socialist Imagination: The Origins of American Studies in the USSR 61 Postwar Images and Sounds of America 62 The Year 1953 and Beyond 73 `Trophy Films' and the Genesis of Americanists in Soviet Ukraine 78 Conclusion 86 3. Discovering America by Studying Russian - US and Ukrainian - Canadian Relations 89 Soviet Pioneer of the History of Russian - American Relations 89 Cultural Influences of the Khrushchev Thaw and its Aftermath 94 American Discoveries of Soviet Russian Identity by a Historian of Russian - American Relations 104 Soviet Pioneer of the History of Ukrainian - American Relations 108 Conclusion 115 Part II: Detente Generation 117 4. Academic Exchanges and Soviet Americanists during the Cold War 121 American Hosts on `Politically Influential' Soviet Guests 124 Political Conformism in Academic Detente: A Soviet Ukrainian Case 135 A Variety of Personal Discoveries of the Real America by Soviet Guests 141 Soviet `Discursive' Discoveries of America 151 Conclusion 161 5. Soviet Americanists and the Impact of American Cinema and Television on the Soviet Union 164 The Western Goes East 166 Cultural Detente in Soviet Society 169 Problems of Nuclear Catastrophe and the End of Detente 178 Television, New Video Technologies and Soviet Espionage Television Series 180 Conclusion 187 Part III: From Detente to Perestroika: The Last Generations of Soviet Americanists 191 6. Playing American Indians and Soviet Indianistika 193 Yulia Averkieva, a Pioneer in Soviet Studies of Native Americans (1907-80) 194 From Playing to Studying American Indians 201 Andrei Znamensky and Alexander Vashchenko: Soviet Province - Centre Collaboration 209 Valery Tishkov: From the Russian Province to Soviet Academic Hierarchy 215 7. Carving the Academic and National Identity of Ukrainian Americanists 223 From Rock Music Enthusiast to Social Historian of Colonial America 223 Arnold Shlepakov, Political Conformism and American Studies in Soviet Ukraine 244 Conclusion: The Rediscovery of Modernity among the Ukrainians of North America, and the Shaping of Ukrainian Identity among Americanists in Soviet Ukraine 255 Epilogue. Perestroika and the Crisis of Soviet Amerikanistika 259 Vladislav Zubok and `Perestroika' among Young Soviet Americanists 259 `Envy of Moscow' and Provincial Americanists 265 `Perestroika' of Ukrainian Americanists 267 Three Generations of Soviet Americanists and Geopolitics 269 Notes 274 Select Bibliography 337 Index 341 "The Americanist community played a vital role in the Cold War, as well as in large part directing the cultural consumption of Soviet society and shaping perceptions of the US. To shed light onto this important, yet under-studied, academic community, Sergei Zhuk here explores the personal histories of prominent Soviet Americanists, considering the myriad cultural influences - from John Wayne's bravado in the film Stagecoach to Miles Davis - that shaped their identities, careers and academic interests. Zhuk's compelling account draws on a wide range of understudied archival documents, periodicals, letters and diaries as well as more than 100 exclusive interviews with prominent Americanists to take the reader from the post-war origins of American studies, via the extremes of the Cold War, thaw and perestroika, to Putin's Russia"--Publisher's description Sergei I. Zhuk. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 246-312) And Index.