The Things of Life: Materiality in Late Soviet Russia

by Alexey Golubev

"This book offers an important new perspective on late Soviet society by focusing on a social history of Soviet material objects and spaces during the late socialist era"--

Genres: Russia, History

240 pages, Hardcover

Published December 15, 2020

Reviews

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting! Analysis goals! And also fascinating parts about the influence of us bodybuilding and aerobic exercise culture in the Soviet Union

[Jen Well-Steered · Rating 4 out of 5]

The prose gets pretty highfalutin in parts. Nonetheless, it is always good to remember that no matter what type of regime they live under, most people are pretty ordinary. The communist regime wanted to showcase its superiority, so people were encouraged to take up hobbies that would benefit it, like science or boat-building. The regime frowned on other activities like body-building (too self-centered), so a certain subversive type took it up.

[David Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and well researched, this is an interesting examination of the role of specific items, locations and practices in late Soviet culture. Some of the examples may be difficult to fully comprehend without a good grasp of the expected role of both government and the citizen in the Soviet Union