Perestroika from Below: From Shared Soviet Space to Divergent Local Histories

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

Memory culture during the late Soviet Union sought to cultivate a shared sense of Soviet history by integrating the local narratives of significant cultural and historical sites into one common memory space. From the late 1960s onwards, the state actively promoted local cultural heritage initiatives, laying the groundwork for the emergence of alternative social movements. As perestroika unfolded, these movements catalyzed organic protests and generated new historical narratives, consciously challenging Soviet traditions and opening up alternative paths for regional development. Drawing on case studies from various Soviet republics, this panel will examine the dynamics of these processes and their role in dismantling the shared Soviet memory and knowledge space.

Sub Unit

• History: Since 1990

Chair

• Stephen Bittner, Sonoma State U

Papers

• Rescuing Zastroika during Perestroika: Grassroots Preservation of Historic Architecture in Leningrad, 1986-1990 - Margarita Pavlova, U of Giessen (Germany)

• The Dissolution and Revival of Utopian Socialist Spaces: The Second Life of Gorky Park and the VDNKh - Katharina Kucher, U of Leibniz IOS (Germany)

• How Timur Replaced Lenin: Uzbek Museums as Arenas and Agents of Change - Corinna Kuhr-Korolev, Centre for Contemporary History (Germany)

Discussant

• Kristin Roth-Ey, U College London (UK)