Material Culture in Russia and the USSR ─ Things, Values, Identities

Material culture, the "stuff" of everyday life is deeply entwined with cultural values and the politics of identity. Material culture is widely studied across different disciplines and represents some of the most cutting-edge scholarship. However, until now there has been no comprehensive analysis of material culture in Russia.

Material culture in Russia holds a particularly important role, as the distinction between the private and public spheres has developed in radically different ways than in the West. This wide-ranging collection offers an unparalleled survey of material culture in Russia from Peter the Great to Putin, addressing core questions such as what is distinctive about Russian material culture, who produces it, what values does it portray, and how does it relate to Russian "high culture" and consumer culture. Exciting and varied case studies range from alcohol, fashion, cinema and photography and feature original work from Russian scholars which are newly translated into English for this volume.