Soviet Cinema and Nostalgia for the USSR in the Russian Village
Abstract
The paper discusses the phenomenon of nostalgia for the USSR which is widely spread among Russian rural settlers from various regions. The focus of analysis is biased by taking in the consideration specialties of the media consumption common to villagers. The satellite TV which came to Russian village in 21th century enhances nostalgia for the USSR because of the emergency of Soviet films transmitting. The basis of the research is formed by five expeditions conducted in villages of Kostroma region (2012), Rostov-on-Don region (2013), Republic of Tatarstan (2014), Irkutsk region (2014)[1] , and Tambov region (2018)[2] . The results of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 240 villagers correlate with analysis of the television content which interviewees watch. The authors show that permanent transmitting of Soviet films on popular among rural settlers TV-channels sustains nostalgia for the USSR and constructs the ideal image of the USSR. “Generalized elsewhere” of the USSR as it could be interpreted in media ecology tradition appears to be paradise. Paradise of the USSR is not lost but it is immortalized on TV screen which shows the world of fairy tale where nothing dies.
[1] These 4 expeditions were conducted under the auspices of Laboratory of media research of the Centre of Fundamental Studies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics
[2] This expedition was conducted under the auspices of project “Opening Russia again” of Fund of Educational Innovations of the National Research University Higher School of Economics
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