The main objective of this thesis is to show that cultural memory on World War Two is stronlgy linked to the feminine myth persistent in Russian culture. This argument is proven on the basis of the...Show moreThe main objective of this thesis is to show that cultural memory on World War Two is stronlgy linked to the feminine myth persistent in Russian culture. This argument is proven on the basis of the analysis of three case studies. The cases at hand are “The Motherland Calls“ statue in Volgograd, “The Motherland“ statue in Kiev and Poklonnaya Gora harboring the Victory Park in Moscow. By examining the historical narratives created through cultural discourses and public debates about these monuments I was able to uncover power relations that direct these narratives. In addition, I examined the role of cultural memory in shaping national identity and social unity. To be able to do so I provide information on the feminine myth, cultural memory and present my own analytical framework for the investigation of cultural memory construction. The outcome of my analysis is the discovery of the defining role of the feminine myth with regards to cultural memory construction on World War Two in Russia and Ukraine.Show less
The thesis explores the ideas about art of Diaghilev and the Mir Iskoesstva (World of Art) movement as proclaimed in their journal, issued from 1899-1904. Within this context the thesis explores...Show moreThe thesis explores the ideas about art of Diaghilev and the Mir Iskoesstva (World of Art) movement as proclaimed in their journal, issued from 1899-1904. Within this context the thesis explores whether the movement's ideas on art centre on the 'art for art's sake' principle or whether it sees a role for art in society.Show less
Becoming posthuman does not mean letting go of all human ethics. Rather, the posthuman turn is about a pluralisation of perspectives, which does not mean a negation of the human perspective. The...Show moreBecoming posthuman does not mean letting go of all human ethics. Rather, the posthuman turn is about a pluralisation of perspectives, which does not mean a negation of the human perspective. The cases of late Soviet science fiction (Solaris, Roadside picnic, Solyaris, and Stalker) contain elements of the posthuman turn. Although their makers were informed by different worldviews, in all four cases the concept of the human and human mastery are challenged by the unsolved and unsolvable mystery of non-human agency.Show less
Male homosexuality in Russia cannot be interpreted through Western paradigms: it must be analyzed in relation to the Russian historical and socio-political context. Since the 18th century Russian...Show moreMale homosexuality in Russia cannot be interpreted through Western paradigms: it must be analyzed in relation to the Russian historical and socio-political context. Since the 18th century Russian rulers have framed homosexual men as enemies of the Russian nation. They have constructed a form of nationalism based on the notion of an authentic and pure heterosexual Russian in opposition to a false and corrupted homosexual non-Russian. The scholar Baer dismantles the Russian political discourse of national identity: he affirms that when reading male homosexuality in Russia from a cultural perspective, the Russian homosexual man stands at the very core of the Russian national identity. The scholar contends that there is an evident relation between the Russian homosexual man and the Russian dusha, or Russian soul. Baer argues convincingly that because of the socio-political marginalization and repression the Russian homosexual man constantly endures, he incorporates the intrinsic characteristics of the Russian dusha of depth of feeling and redemptive suffering. Therefore, he is the true perpetrator of the Russian national identity. The aim of this thesis is to enhance Baer’s innovative understanding of male homosexuality in Russia as to stimulate further research in the academia and contribute to the public debate regarding this topic. In order to do so, the artwork Asylum- a collection of photographs representing naked Russian homosexual men who immigrated to the United States to find political asylum- from the contemporary Russian artist Alexander Kargaltsev has been analyzed with the purpose of detecting how it contributes to the understanding of the Russian homosexual man as true perpetrator of the Russian national identity. The two photographs that best express the relation between the Russian homosexual man and the Russian dusha have been analyzed. By assessing different components of those two photographs in relation to the condition of homosexual men in contemporary Russia, it can be confirmed that the Russian homosexual man incorporates the intrinsic characteristics of the Russian dusha of depth of feeling and redemptive suffering. Hence, he is the true perpetrator of the Russian national identity, as Baer firmly asserts.Show less
