Gulag Memories: The Rediscovery and Commemoration of Russia's Repressive Past

By Zuzanna Bogumił

Book Overview

This book shows how the memory of the Soviet repressions was shaped in Russia in the 90's, beginning of 21st century - at a time when the state no longer made memory of the repressions a taboo topic, but had not yet become actively involved in shaping it. It is an ethnographic description of the grass-rooted commemorative activities that took place in four post-lager regions: The Solovetsky Islands, Komi Republic, Perm region and Kolyma. The book shows how memory actors used their creativity to shape the memory of soviet repressions. In contrast to many exiting books which pay attention exclusively to the commemorative activities of the Memorial Society, this book shows how the history of repression becomes part of the historical policy of the Russian Orthodox Church and gains more and more state support. This book sheds new light on understanding the meaning of the repressive past in Russia by analyzing the function that this memory plays in the contemporary historical policy of the state and the Russian Orthodox Church.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1800734379
• ISBN13: 9781800734371
• Release Date: April 2022
• Publisher: Berghahn Books
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"