Russian Culture in Uzbekistan: One Language in the Middle of Nowhere

by MacFadyen; David

• ISBN13: 9780415341349
• ISBN10: 0415341345
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-07-07
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Recent political changes in Central Asia, where the United States is replacing Russia as the dominant power, are having a profound effect on Russian speakers in the region. These people, formerly perceived as progressive and engaging with Europe, are now confronted by the erasure of their literary, musical, cinematic and journalistic culture, as local ethnic and American cultures become much stronger. This book examines the predicament of Russian culture in Central Asia, looking at literature, language, cinema, music, and religion. It argues that the Soviet past was much more complex than the simplified, polarized rhetoric of the Cold War period allows, and also that the present situation, in which politicians from the former Soviet regime often continue in power, is equally complex.

Author Biography

David MacFadyen is a professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of California, Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xxi
1 Before Russia and Uzbekistan: subtle, suppressed affinities	1	(20)
2 Troubles with Islam and "ecstasy or self-oblivion"	21	(17)
3 Folk music and dance: plaintive sobbing or fiery virtuosity?	38	(18)
4 Introducing Russian classical music to Central Asia	56	(9)
5 The onset of Russian literature's kindly genius	65	(13)
6 Simplifying one thousand years of Uzbek poetry	78	(18)
7 Today's culture and the ironic benefits of the internet	96	(17)
8 Conclusion: eventful encounters with a horror vacui	113	(5)
Bibliography	118	(43)
Index	161