Soviet Visual and Material Culture: Theory, Methodology, and Historical Context

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

In the context of the growing interest in Slavic and Eurasian Studies of the inter-disciplinary sub-fields of visual and material culture, this modern history roundtable proposal aims to bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines to open a wide discussion about theoretical and methodological approaches and challenges to this line of research. This can be particularly challenging to academics, since the evidential material they use can be more artifactual, instead of only textual. Recently, many publications, in art history, history of architecture, politics, and history have begun to address this expanding academic arena; the ASEEES roundtable format can help facilitate a growing dialogue on the topic as it intersects with the academic interests of many varied scholarly pursuits. Its goal, in addition to engaging dialogue at the Convention in 2024, is to bring together academics in the Slavic field to potentially form informal working sub-groups to share their methodological challenges when contextualizing art, architecture and material culture in particular chronological times and public/private cultural spaces.

Sub Unit

• History: 1945-1990

Chair

• Christopher Stolarski, Georgetown U

Roundtable Members

• James Thomas Andrews, Iowa State U

• K. Andrea Rusnock, Indiana U South Bend

• Kathleen Elizabeth Smith, Georgetown U