During the late 50s and early 60s, the Soviet Union boasted an impressive succession of 'space firsts': the first satellite, the first dog, the first man, and the first woman in space were all sent there by the leading socialist country. The influence of the Sputnik and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin went far beyond political leaders and military circles and was more than merely a link in the chain of technological advancement. This book analyzes Soviet space exploration as a cultural phenomenon, investigating the 'cosmic age', as mirrored in ideology, imagination and everyday life. It examines the communist, utopian and atheist aspects of the Soviet space fever in detail and locates the Soviet fascination for space in the context of Russian social and cultural history. Further topics are the making of male and female space heroes, the performing of space in world politics, space in socialist visual and pop cultures, the impact of space travel on children's dreams, and, finally, the end of utopia and beginning of nostalgia.
| ISBN | 0230274358 | | Pages | 344 | | ISBN13 | 9780230274358
(What's this?) | | Weight (grammes) | 516 | | Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan | | Published in | Basingstoke | | Imprint | Palgrave Macmillan | | Height (mm) | 222 | | Format | Hardback | | Width (mm) | 144 | | Publication date | 16 Aug 2011 | | Spine width (mm) | 24 | | DEWEY | 629.40947 | | Academic level | Postgraduate | | DEWEY edition | DC22 | |
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Preface Notes on Contributors Introduction: What does 'space culture' Mean in Soviet society?; E.Maurer, J.Richers, M.Ruthers & 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.Ruthers 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.Ruthers 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.Ruthers PART IV: SPACE IN POPULAR CULTURE Introduction: Space in Popular Culture; J.Richers & M.Ruthers 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
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