Soviet Space Culture Cosmic Enthusiasm in Socialist Societies

by Maurer, Eva; Richers, Julia; Ruthers, Monica; Scheide, Carmen; Rthers, Monica; Rüthers, Monica

• ISBN13: 9780230274358
• ISBN10: 0230274358
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-09-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Starting with the first man-made satellite 'Sputnik' in 1957 and culminating four years later with the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, space became a new utopian horizon. This book explores the profound repercussions of the Soviet space exploration program on culture and everyday life in Eastern Europe, especially in the Soviet Union itself.

Author Biography

Eva Maurer studied History and Russian Literature in Zurich, Switzerland, and Mnster, Germany, and holds a special interest in the cultural and social history of Russia and the Soviet Union. Her PhD study 'Wege zum Pik Stalin' deals with the agency of Soviet mountaineers and their contribution to the mental maps of Stalinism. Julia Richers is Research and Teaching Fellow for East European History at the University of Basel, Switzerland. She received her PhD in 2005 with a study on 'Jewish Budapest'. Her interest in 'space' and spatial theories led to her current project on 'Cosmic Enthusiasm in the Soviet Union between Technology Cult and Social Utopia'. Monica Rthers is Professor of East European History at Hamburg University, Germany. Her research interests include Russian and Soviet visual history, Jews and Gypsies as European liminar groups, the iconography of Soviet childhood, and Soviet-type consumer societies. Carmen Scheide specializes in East European history and culture. She received her PhD in 1990 from Basel University, Switzerland, for a study on Soviet women in the 1920s, and her latest book concerns the remembrance of World War II in the Soviet Union.

Table of Contents

Preface
Notes on Contributors
Introduction: What does 'space culture' Mean in Soviet society?; E.Maurer, J.Richers, M.Rüthers&C.Scheide
Writing about Soviet Space Exploration: A Short Overview over the State of Research; J.Richers
PART I: SPIRITUALITY, TRANSCENDENCE AND SOVIET UTOPIANISM IN REFLECTIONS ON SPACE TRAVEL
Introduction: Spirituality, Transcendence and Soviet Utopianism in Reflections on Space Travel; E.Maurer&J.Richers
The Conquest of Space and the Bliss of the Atoms - Konstantin Tsiolkovskii; M.Hagemeister
Empty/Void Space and the Cybernetic God: Kosmos in the Works of StanisLaw Lem and the Strugatsky Brothers; T.Grob
The Contested Skies: The Battle of Science and Religion in the Soviet Planetarium; V.Smolkin
PART II: REMEMBERING SPACE, CONSTRUCTING HEROES
Introduction: Remembering Space, Constructing Heroes; C.Scheide& M.Rüthers
Memories of Space and the Spaces of Memory: Remembering Sergei Korolev; S.Gerovitch
The Heroic and the Ordinary: Photographic Representations of Soviet Cosmonauts in the Early 1960's; I.Kohonen 
'Let's Find Out Where the Cosmonaut School Is': Soviet Girls and Cosmic Visions in the Aftermath of Tereshkova; R.Sylvester
Constructing Cosmic Enthusiasm: A Case Study of the Krasnodar Territory; A.Eremeeva
Propaganda and Cultural History of Cosmonautics: The Example of Regional Public Organizations; V.Sadym
PART III: PERFORMING SPACE IN WORLD POLITICS: COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIALITY
Introduction: Performing Space in World Politics: Communications and Mediality; M.Rüthers
Sputnik Goes to Brussels: The Exhibition of a Soviet Technological Wonder; L.Siegelbaum
Soviet Cosmonauts and American Astronauts in Yugoslavia - Who Did the Yugoslavs Love More?; R.Vucetic
Children and the Cosmos as Projects of the Future and Ambassadors of Soviet Leadership; M.Rüthers
PART IV: SPACE IN POPULAR CULTURE
Introduction: Space in Popular Culture; J.Richers& M.Rüthers
A Dream Come True: Close Encounters with Outer Space in Soviet Popular Scientific Journals of the 1950's and 60's; M.Schwartz
Space Exploration in Russian and Western Popular Culture: Wishful Thinking, Conspiracy Theories and other Related Issues; A.Rogatchevski
Two Images of a Spaceman in Estonian Art: The Missing Myth of a Hero and the Fable of Failure; A.Porri
Epilogue: End of Utopia, Start of Nostalgia
From 'Cosmic Enthusiasm' to 'Nostalgia for the Future': A Tale of Soviet Space Culture; A.Siddiqi
Appendix