| Blackness and Race in Soviet Cinema Contributor(s): Novikova, Irina (Author) |
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ISBN: 1138308943 ISBN-13: 9781138308947 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $161.50 Product Type: Hardcover Published: January 2026 This item may be ordered no more than 25 days prior to its publication date of January 5, 2026 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - General - Social Science | Regional Studies |
| Series: Routledge Contemporary Russia and Eastern Europe |
| Physical Information: 288 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This book argues that although Soviet ideology did not accept the principle of biologically based racial inferiority, aspired to achieve equality for all citizens under socialist internationalism and regarded "race" as a concept formulated by modern capitalism, nevertheless Soviet films that addressed issues of "race" still exposed their authors' views. Moreover, the book contends that these views made a significant contribution to popular perceptions and to the gradual rise of "white supremacy" thinking in the late Soviet period, with such thinking being now very widely held in post-Soviet, contemporary Russia. The book discusses a wide range of films including films about Africa, Africans and Afro-Americans, explores in detail the Soviet social construction of race, gender and identity and contrasts this with the development of racial thinking in the Western world. The book's rich and subtle analysis shows how Soviet cine-culture in a variety of popular genres, from adventure films to biopics and political drama, re-articulated meanings of "race" through allegedly anti-racist imageries of "blackness" and "whiteness." |