This master thesis focusses on four internationally acclaimed Russian films, namely The Major (Major, 2013) and The Fool (Durak, 2014) by Yuri Bykov, and Leviathan (Leviafan, 2014) and Loveless ...Show moreThis master thesis focusses on four internationally acclaimed Russian films, namely The Major (Major, 2013) and The Fool (Durak, 2014) by Yuri Bykov, and Leviathan (Leviafan, 2014) and Loveless (Nelyubov’, 2017) by Andrei Zvyagintsev. These films have been subject of controversy within Russia, and have often been associated with chernukha; a naturalistic, dark and cynic trend that first appeared in public discourse during the late 1980s. By analysing these four films and discussing the public debate surrounding them, this thesis focusses on the continuity and discontinuity in both socio-critical Russian films and the criticism on these films.Show less
In 2003, in response to the terminal socioeconomic instability and political ignorance, the Georgian civil society initiated a wave of mobilization, consolidation and protest actions. The Rose...Show moreIn 2003, in response to the terminal socioeconomic instability and political ignorance, the Georgian civil society initiated a wave of mobilization, consolidation and protest actions. The Rose Revolution represents the culmination of elite tensions and civil disobedience. The Revolution continues to be one of the most influential and important Color Revolutions in the post-Soviet sphere because of the large-scale mobilization of Georgian citizens. Consequently, the purpose of this thesis is to identify how did the Rose Revolution develop and promote mass mobilization required for political change. The thesis adopts the concept of “framing” and the three different framing strategies (diagnostic, prognostic, motivational) and applies them to the case of the Rose Revolution in order to analyze the consensus and action mobilization of the protest actors. By pursuing these strategies, the Rose Revolution opened opportunities for confidence and hope among the Georgian citizens. People began to distinguish between politics and the party, and thus the parties began to lose the occupied space of the political. Especially the prognostic strategies liberated the activist cores, enabled them to ‘flourish’. In other words, the public got inspired to take part in the popular discontent with the governmental establishment.Show less
Volgens schrijver Fëdor Dostoevskij begrijpen buitenlanders niks van de Russische landschapskunst. Ook zijn naamgenoot Fëdor Tjutčev schreef dat “het hovaardige oog van de westerling blind is voor...Show moreVolgens schrijver Fëdor Dostoevskij begrijpen buitenlanders niks van de Russische landschapskunst. Ook zijn naamgenoot Fëdor Tjutčev schreef dat “het hovaardige oog van de westerling blind is voor het geheime licht dat uit het karige Russische landschap straalt.” Toch was de overzichtstentoonstelling van de Russische landschapsschilderkunst in 2003-2004 in Groningen een groot succes. Ook de pers was doorgaans lovend over de toen voor het westen nog onbekende schilderijen. In de westerse wereld werd de Russische landschapskunst eerder decennialang opzijgeschoven. Hoe werd de Russische landschapsschilderkunst op de tentoonstelling Het Russische Landschap ontvangen in Nederland? Om deze vraag te beantwoorden is in de literatuurstudie een historisch overzicht geïntegreerd en wordt toegelicht hoe de tentoonstelling tot stand is gekomen. Na dit historische overzicht wordt gedemonstreerd op welke manieren de Russische landschapsschilderkunst kan worden benaderd: zowel apolitieke natuurervaringen als chauvinistisch Russische trots kunnen door de werken bij de kijker worden opgewekt. Dit laatste kan worden bereikt door zowel modderige landwegen als weelderige bossen. Er wordt hier ook ingegaan op de uitlatingen van Dostoevskij en Tjutčev over het buitenlandse onbegrip. De literatuurstudie wordt afgesloten met een artikel van Ellen Rutten, waarin wordt opgemerkt dat in Groningen mensen vooral afkwamen op de Russische Ziel. Om deze laatste bewering te testen is een kwantitatief onderzoek opgesteld. De expositie werd doorverkocht aan the National Gallery, en dus kon zowel de Engelse als Nederlandse media-aandacht worden onderzocht. Het extra aantal bronnen uit Engeland dat hierdoor is toegevoegd maakt de percentages een stuk betrouwbaarder en minder afhankelijk van toeval. In elke gevonden relevante bron is gezocht naar een veertiental kenmerken. Aan de hand hiervan kan worden afgeleid op welke manier het westen de Russische landschapskunst heeft binnengehaald. Een van de grootste ontdekkingen in het kwantitatieve onderzoek was het verschil tussen de Nederlandse en Engelse krantenartikelen, die uitgebreid worden toegelicht. Verder toont dit werkstuk aan dat in Nederland vele bronnen meegingen in de Russische Ziel, maar ook andere kenmerken erg vaak werden genoemd. Het landschap werd in Groningen en Nederland zowel intrinsiek als nationaal geïnterpreteerd, en deze twee benaderingen blijken elkaar ook niet uit te sluiten.Show less
This thesis revisits the 1988 Sotheby’s auction in Moscow, an event that catalyzed the commercialization of the Soviet art market. For the first time in history, unofficial art, previously outlawed...Show moreThis thesis revisits the 1988 Sotheby’s auction in Moscow, an event that catalyzed the commercialization of the Soviet art market. For the first time in history, unofficial art, previously outlawed by the Soviet state, was auctioned off to predominantly Western buyers. While scholars have assessed the role of the auction in transforming the Soviet art market, none have contemplated the perceptions of commercialization from the perspective of the media. Additionally, pre-existing literature lacks application of cultural theory. Therefore, this thesis departs from previous works by assessing Western and Soviet news coverage of the event. Based on the conclusions drawn from this analysis, Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of symbolic capital is applied in order to understand the ‘re-shuffling of artistic hierarchies.’ By drawing on media- and theory-focused lenses, this thesis aims to contribute to the discussion on the nature of commercialization in the Soviet Union prior to its collapse, as well as invite a more careful reading on the effects of commercialization on Soviet artistic production.Show less
This thesis explores the stereotypes of different Cold War movies made in the Soviet Union. Three movies are analysed based on a critical literature review about stereotypes. Based on the...Show moreThis thesis explores the stereotypes of different Cold War movies made in the Soviet Union. Three movies are analysed based on a critical literature review about stereotypes. Based on the observations and different theories of scholars the stereotypes are defined and placed within their time period.Show less
This thesis investigates the reappearance of the Russian prison camp memoir. It investigates how these contemporary prison camp memoirs are connected to prison camp writing from the past. I used...Show moreThis thesis investigates the reappearance of the Russian prison camp memoir. It investigates how these contemporary prison camp memoirs are connected to prison camp writing from the past. I used the contemporary prison camp memoirs of Maria Alyokhina (2017) and Ildar Dadin (2018). Both were political prisoners, convicted in politically motivated trials, and served sentenced in the modern day system of Russian penal colonies. Their memoirs are a product of the growing repression that takes place under president Vladimir Putin. Russia has a long tradition of prison camp writing. The contemporary prison camp memoirs recall this past, and are therefore looked at in the context of this tradition, especially that of Gulag memoir writing. The thesis first looks at the most important aspects of the narratives of the contemporary memoirs, which they share with Gulag memoirs (retrospect, testimonial function and a bi-functionality). Secondly it investigates the structure of the narratives, and how these share the four morphological features of Gulag memoirs as formulated by Leona Toker, who analyzed the corpus of Gulag memoirs. Thirdly, it explores how the authors of the contemporary prison camp memoirs inscribe their memoirs in the tradition of Russian prison camp writing, and how they deploy the past in their narratives about the present.Show less
In 1920 verscheen de utopie 'De reis van mijn broer Aleksej naar het land van de boerenutopie' van de Russische econoom, landbouwkundige en schrijver Alexander Tsjajanov. In de spaarzame...Show moreIn 1920 verscheen de utopie 'De reis van mijn broer Aleksej naar het land van de boerenutopie' van de Russische econoom, landbouwkundige en schrijver Alexander Tsjajanov. In de spaarzame wetenschappelijke literatuur waarin dit werk behandeld wordt, is deze utopie zowel gekarakteriseerd als een slavofiel werk en als een populistische utopie. In deze scriptie wordt gekeken naar hoe deze invloeden zich manifesteren in de utopie en zal worden geconcludeerd dat dit werk in de kern veel meer een populistisch dan een slavofiel karakter heeft.Show less
Nina Ivanovna Petrovskaia (1879 – 1928) was a minor writer in the Symbolist circles of the early twentieth-century Russian Empire. She functioned as a muse for various significant Russian...Show moreNina Ivanovna Petrovskaia (1879 – 1928) was a minor writer in the Symbolist circles of the early twentieth-century Russian Empire. She functioned as a muse for various significant Russian Symbolists and was viewed as a signifier of the philosophical and artistic concepts of the Divine Sophia and the Eternal Feminine. Unlike some of her female contemporaries who openly discussed the artificial construction of gender, Petrovskaia was not explicitly critical of her fate. A thorough reading of her literary work nonetheless shows that she did comment on the dynamics between male and female and was not as accommodating as is usually suggested. In this thesis, I will argue that Nina Petrovskaia adopted a more active position in the Symbolist debate on sex and life-creation than is generally assumed and that she counters the expectations of a binary opposition between men and women by adaptating of a male narrator.Show less
In this thesis I have studied the novel 'The Pale Steed' (Конь бледный) by Boris Savinkov by analyzing recurrent themes. Then I have studied how these themes (religion and theater) are worked out...Show moreIn this thesis I have studied the novel 'The Pale Steed' (Конь бледный) by Boris Savinkov by analyzing recurrent themes. Then I have studied how these themes (religion and theater) are worked out or left absent in two movie adaptations (Исчадье Ада (1991) and Всадник по имени Смерть (2004)) of the novel, and how the director's choice of themes affects the image of the terrorist in the movies. Furthermore, I explored what influence the era and political environment in which the movies were produced has upon this imagery of the terrorist.Show less
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
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
The Decembrist movement produced a large quantity of civic poetry with utopian elements, but hardly any full-blown and self-contained literary utopias. This is surprising given the utopian ideals...Show moreThe Decembrist movement produced a large quantity of civic poetry with utopian elements, but hardly any full-blown and self-contained literary utopias. This is surprising given the utopian ideals of its adherents and sympathizers. One of them, Vil’gelm Kjuxel’beker, produced two short utopian stories, i.e. European Letters and The Land of the Headless. Obscure and seemingly unfinished as these works are, they have hardly received any serious scholarly attention. In my thesis, I argue that these works are certainly socially relevant, and should be interpreted as patriotic documents that reflect the Decembrist discourse. European Letters, written in 1819, paints a rosy picture of Russia’s future, which has become the world’s superior civilization after Europe and America and is inhabited by morally perfected human beings that remind one of the “new man.” On the eve of the Decembrist revolt, when the initial naïve optimism had disappeared, Kjuxel’beker wrote a second, negative utopia under the title The Land of the Headless. This work criticizes trends in contemporary Russian society, satirically exaggerating their possible harmful consequences and pleaing for national self-liberation and preservation of the (patriarchal) national traditions.Show less
