ABSTRACT
In Russia, where the distinction between the private and public realms has historically been radically different from that to be found in many Western cultures, the role played by material culture in shaping values and identity (and indeed politics) has historically been particularly important. This alone makes Russian (and Soviet) material culture especially worthy of study. Yet relatively few scholars have looked at Russian, or Soviet material culture qua material culture. The book traces the evolution from the late seventeenth century to the early twenty-first of the little-studied feature of Russian material culture, showing how it has been shaped over the centuries by political, economic, and social change. It raises the important question of the relationship between material culture, consumption, and the state. The book examines some of the different ways in which material culture has been represented in Soviet film, and post-Soviet literature.
