Periodicals Unbound III: Periodicals as Mirrors: Seeing the Social

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

This panel examines the dynamic interactions between the periodic press/media, the state, and society. In "Constructing (Dis)Trust" Arsenii Verkeev investigates the portrayal of public opinion polls in Russian independent media, revealing the intricate fusion of methodological and political discourse. Drawing on Soviet popular science journals from the 1950s and 1960s, Olya Fedberg investigates the role of periodicals in shaping public perceptions of the Soviet atomic project, revealing how they engaged younger audiences and facilitated a sense of inclusion within the broader collective of atomic pioneers. "Strategic Traditionalism" by Asya Tsaturyan delves into the Russian state's strategic reinforcement of specific illiberal topics within narratives on gender and sexuality, showcasing state interventions. In her "Translations on the Pages" Iuliia Kozitskaia provides insights into the ideological transmission within Jana Adabiet, the first Kazakh Soviet literary journal, shedding light on the journal's role in shaping the Soviet literary landscape in Kazakhstan. By examining these case studies, the panel elucidates how periodicals (in print and online) serve as reflective mirrors, simultaneously capturing state narratives and refracting social interpretations of these narratives in Soviet and post-Soviet contexts.

Sub Unit

• Sociology, Public Health, Education

Chair

• Daria Franklin, Columbia U

Papers

• Constructing (Dis)Trust: Depictions of Public Opinion Polls in Russian Independent Media - Arsenii Verkeev, Independent Scholar

• Strategic Traditionalism: The Russian State’s Discourse on Gender and Sexuality - Anastasia Tsaturyan, Columbia U

• Translations on the Pages of the First Kazakh Soviet Literary Journal - Iuliia Kozitskaia, Nazarbayev U (Kazakhstan)

Discussant

• Tatiana Efremova, George Washington U