National Dress, National Identity: Folklorisation of Central Asia through Soviet Cinema

• In Event: Beyond Aesthetics: Unraveling the Liberation Potential of Soviet Fashion Design, Cinema, and Art

Abstract

Folklorisation, a significant element of Soviet mass culture from the 1930s to the 1950s, employed folkloristic performances in national costumes to visually define and classify Soviet nationalities. This aspect of mass culture was institutionalised through the dekadas (ten-day festivals) of national art in Moscow from 1936 to 1941. Thousands of costumes, specifically crafted for this occasion, were widely adopted, becoming the emblematic signifiers of the represented nationalities. Cinema, particularly the film concert genre, contributed to the portrayal of Central Asian cultures as ethnographic spectacle through the use of costumes and other visual elements. In this paper, I intend to explore how national clothing was ‘created’ for the dekadas and the ensuing film concert genre, and how it was represented in films. The discussion will focus on national clothing as a paramount aspect of the visual iconography of Soviet folklorisation and as a contested site for the identity-seeking of local actors and the legitimisation of Soviet power.

Author

• Assiya Issemberdiyeva, Queen Mary, U of London (UK)