Revolution through Entertainment: The "New Theater" in Mongolia 1921-1938

• In Event: Cultural Policy and Identity among the Mongols of Socialist Central Asia - Sponsored by the American Center for Mongolian Studies

Abstract

One of the central issues following the socialist revolution in Mongolia in 1921 was how best to present to the people, the vast majority of whom were illiterate herders, the benefits of the “new life” (shine amidral) for which they had struggled as well as to remind them of the evils – feudalism, serfdom and religion – which they had now left behind. As had been the case following Russia’s October Revolution in 1917, a popular and effective solution was found in theatrical performance, enjoyment of which – unlike poetry and stories – did not necessitate an ability to read.

These early theater pieces seek, on the one hand, to recognize Mongolian tradition as integral to the life of their nomadic audience, while also encouraging an acceptance of the new life offered by the Party through Mongol-Soviet friendship. A proper understanding of Mongolian tradition, then, and of its role in negotiating the post-revolutionary relationship with the Soviet Union, became a central factor in the development of early revolutionary theater. By tracing how, during the 1920s and 1930s, dramatists such as Sh.Ayuush, D.Namdag, D.Natsagdorj and S.Buyannemeh presented key concepts – such as the end of feudalism, the ignorance of religion, the benefits of western science and international socialism – on stage, this presentation will show how the government sought to educate the proletariat (ard tümen) and engender in them the desire to struggle for Mongolia’s liberated, revolutionary and socialist future.

Author

• Simon Wickhamsmith, Rutgers University