Monday, March 27, 5:30-7 pm, MLB 3308

Anja Burghardt, Assistant Professor of Slavic Studies, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich

"One Soviet Nation? Capturing Ethnic Diversity in Photography of the 1920s and 1930s"

In the early Soviet Union photography played a prominent role in shaping the new society. In the 1920s this new medium was supposed to allow everyone who was part of the Socialist project to participate in photographic expression, either as a photographer or as a subject. Photography captured daily life experience of different people was and made it known to people in distant regions. But how much room was there for self-portrayal of those who were not in the (European) centres of the USSR? By examining photographs of non-Russian ethnic groups, mainly in Central Asia, this presentation discusses choices of motifs and artistic devices, value attributions and ideological implications in shaping the Soviet Nation in photography.

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this event, please contact Carolyn Dymond (dymond@umich.edu or 734.764.5355) at least 4 days in advance of this event. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the University to arrange.