Article Title
Reviving Heritage in Post-Soviet Eastern Europe: A Visual Approach To National Identity
Abstract
This paper seeks to demonstrate the controversial nature of heritage as it is expressed through visual media in the former Soviet republics. I explore Soviet-era emblems of cultural heritage in a post-Soviet context specifically to illuminate their influence on national identity. Drawing from imagery in the Baltic States, Belarus, and Ukraine I demonstrate how today’s lingering symbols of communist nationalism obscure the realization of national identity from being completely non-Soviet. Examples such as Grutas Park, Freedom Square and Minsk’s steadfast urban design illustrate how remembrance of the Soviet past through visual media poses a social conflict to transitional change in Eastern Europe.
Recommended Citation
Harrison, Frances W.
(2012)
"Reviving Heritage in Post-Soviet Eastern Europe: A Visual Approach To National Identity,"
Totem: The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology: Vol. 20:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/totem/vol20/iss1/3