Историческая и политическая имагология. Рубрика в журнале - Вестник ВолГУ. Серия: История. Регионоведение. Международные отношения
Статья научная
Introduction. For the first time, the article examines the contemporary Russians’ and Americans’ social views on how the Soviet and US Cold War mass culture represented “us” and “them”. Materials and methods. The article is based on an analysis of data from an in-depth interview conducted in the USA and Russia (n = 27, autumn 2023 – spring 2024). To verify the results obtained, projective techniques were employed. Results. The interviewees from both countries demonstrated familiarity with the content of the Cold War ideological clichés; an understanding of the techniques by which these clichés are created; and awareness of the manipulative nature of their use. They identified the features through which mass culture juxtaposed Soviet and American ways of life, as well as the character traits and appearances attributed to Homo Americanus and Homo Soveticus. In general, Russian informants were slightly more knowledgeable about representations of the USSR in US mass culture than American counterparts were about representations of the USA in Soviet culture. The authors conclude that views on the ways of representing “us” and “them” in the Soviet and US Cold War mass culture are stereotypical, being simplified, shared, emotionally coloured and stable, and can be designated as “imagological stereotypes”. These stereotypes serve as a factor that influences Russians and Americans’ mutual perceptions and indirectly affects contemporary international relations.
Бесплатно
Статья научная
Introduction. The article examines cultural communication between the USSR and the USA from the 1960s to the 1980s. The case selected for the study includes criticism of the most significant aspects of the socio-political life of the USA – specifically, the political system, the institution of the presidency, and civic values – during the Cold War period. Methods and materials. The analysis uses historical constructivism and a range of supporting methods: descriptive analysis, discourse analysis, and semiotics. In addition to publicly available versions of the novel, plays, and films, the authors use unpublished archival sources. Analysis. The study focuses on the Soviet media campaign around the novel Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II, which includes literary translations, plays, and films. The experience of “symmetric” film adaptations in the USSR and the USA has been studied. Particular attention is paid to the technique of on-screen modelling, which enabled the authors to offer a critical reflection on contemporary realities in the rival powers. Results. The analysed approaches to interpreting the novel, despite the variety of channels through which its content was disseminated, reveal commonalities and patterns in the construction of the symbolic Other. The criticism of the ambiguity surrounding political processes in the USA by the authors of the novel largely corresponded with established propaganda techniques employed by the Soviet media. The reflection of real processes in the relations between the two states is traced in the dynamic development of the images of the colonel, general, and president in the various versions of the novel. Authors’ contribution. Maksim Kaziuchits analysed a range of literary and media sources – the original novel Seven Days in May by Knebel and Bailey and its translations into Russian. He compared the translated versions with the source text and identified omissions in the 1966 and 1990 editions. His research also encompassed the radio play and the television production The Last Argument of Kings, as well as archival materials from the Russian State Archive of Cinema and Photo Documents and the Archive of the State Television and Radio Company. Nina Sputnitskaia worked at the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, where she collected and analysed documents related to theatrical productions, studied the personal archives of the creators of media products, and examined both the television film The Conspiracy and the script Hello, Comrade President!
Бесплатно
Статья научная
Introduction. Using the example of representations of the Olympic Games, the article analyses the creation and deconstruction of the image of the enemy through Soviet and American sports discourse as a component of the Cold War. The relevance of the study lies in the need to explore both the technologies used to construct and deconstruct the image of the enemy in international politics and the historical dimension of Russia – USA relations. Method and materials. The materials consist of publications in the leading sports magazines of the USSR (Physical Culture and Sport) and the USA (Sports Illustrated) from 1948 to 1991 (approximately 200 issues in total). Results. Sports discourse was actively employed in the USSR and the USA, emphasising the values that each superpower claimed to defend. The qualities attributed to “us” and “them” reflected broader characteristics associated with the Soviet and American ways of life. Representations of the Games, which were presented primarily as a rivalry between the USSR and the USA, reflect these features of sports discourse. However, the Olympic ideals served as a constraint on the production of hostility. The American magazine exhibited greater variability in its portrayal of sporting rivalry between the USSR and the USA, whereas the Soviet magazine contrasted “overseas sports businessmen” with US athletes. Sports discourse thus functioned as a resource for constructing the Cold War images of the enemy. At the same time, it also contained the potential for deconstructing these images: sporting competitions were interpreted as a demonstration of the possibility of peaceful rivalry and cooperation between the USSR and the USA across various spheres.
Бесплатно
The Theme of the Nuclear Threat in Western Video Games of the 1980s and 1990s
Статья научная
Introduction. The presented study explores how the theme of nuclear threat was represented in Western video games during the 1980s and 1990s. The research problem is the lack of a conceptualization of the impact of the narrative component and procedural rhetoric of video games of the relevant period on the perception of the threat of nuclear war and the events of the Cold War. Materials and methods. The empirical basis of the study was formed by involving the content of eight video games: Missile Command, Raid over Moscow, Rush’n Attack, Spy vs Spy III: Arctic Antics, Wasteland, Crisis in the Kremlin, Big Red Adventure, and Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game. The methodology of the work combines elements of comparative and structural analysis. Analysis. The narrative component of these video games and the specific features of their procedural rhetoric were examined. Results. It was established that the image of the nuclear threat in Western video games of the 1980s and 1990s was initially shaped within the framework of stereotypes of perception of American society, rooted in popular culture from both the Cold War and earlier periods. This image did not reflect the point of view of a specific political force. It was distinguished by high variability, which made it possible to orient the audience towards supporting both aggressive and moderate foreign policy. The influence of popular culture, on the one hand, actualized the content and structure of the image; on the other hand, it displaced it into the realm of fantastic escapism. As a result, it was only occasionally perceived as an existential threat to the USA, which determined a wide range of possibilities in terms of influencing the political thinking and behavior of the target audience.
Бесплатно
Статья научная
Введение. В статье анализируется репрезентация ядерной угрозы в фильме Питера Уоткинса «Военная игра» (1965) в контексте массовых представлений периода холодной войны. В отличие от игрового кино, где событие ядерного взрыва находится в зоне вымысла, «Военная игра» предлагает гибридную форму, совмещая факт и вымысел. Фильм рассматривается как отклик на Карибский кризис и войну во Вьетнаме, а также как критика общественного равнодушия и ригидности восприятия ядерной угрозы. Методы и материалы. Методологическую основу статьи составляет теория неигрового кино. Дополнительно применяется аналитика апокалиптического мышления, коллективной травмы и параноидальных состояний, развиваемая в социальной психологии и психоанализе. Материалом исследования служит сам фильм Уоткинса, прочитанный как критический артефакт, ставящий под вопрос режимы знания и визуальной репрезентации ядерной угрозы. Анализ. Анализ строится в соответствии со структурой фильма: эскалация конфликта, ядерный удар и постапокалиптическое выживание. Каждая часть демонстрирует различные формы восприятия ядерной угрозы – от информационной неосведомленности до распада социальных норм. Особое внимание уделяется кинематографическим приемам, создающим эффект присутствия, и «телевизионной достоверности», настаивающей на документации. Фильм создает напряжение на стыке фантазии и факта, демонстрируя сочетание этих элементов в массовых представлениях о ядерной угрозе. Результаты. Статья демонстрирует, что «Военная игра» функционирует не только как антивоенное высказывание, но и как форма критического исследования коллективных представлений о ядерной угрозе. Уоткинс использует кинематографическую гибридность как метафору гибридного характера общественного восприятия, где сплетаются научные данные, факты и фантазии. Через совмещение вымысла и документальности фильм встраивается в культурную критику ядерной эпохи и выступает как значимый визуальный документ периода холодной войны.
Бесплатно
