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From Internationalism to PostcolonialismLiterature and Cinema between the Second and the Third Worlds |
eBook Available
A reconstruction of Cold War-era cultural networks between the Second and Third Worlds that offers a compelling genealogy of contemporary postcolonial studies.
Would there have been a Third World without the Second? Perhaps, but it would have looked very different. Although most histories of these geopolitical blocs and their constituent societies and cultures are written in reference to the West, the interdependence of the Second and Third Worlds is evident not only from a common nomenclature but also from their near-simultaneous disappearance around 1990.
From Internationalism to Postcolonialism addresses this historical blind spot by recounting the story of two Cold War-era cultural formations that claimed to represent the Third World project in literature and cinema: the Afro-Asian Writers Association (1958-1991) and the Tashkent Festival for African, Asian, and Latin American Film (1968-1988). The inclusion of writers and filmmakers from the Soviet Caucasus and Central Asia and extensive Soviet support aligned these organizations with Soviet internationalism. While these cultural alliances between the Second and the Third World never achieved their stated aim - the literary and cinematic independence of the literatures and cinemas of these societies from the West - they did forge what Ngugi wa Thiong'o called "the links that bind us," along which now-canonical postcolonial authors, texts, and films could circulate across the non-Western world until the end of the Cold War.
In the process of this historical reconstruction, From Internationalism to Postcolonialism inverts the traditional relationship between Soviet and postcolonial studies: rather than studying the (post-)Soviet experience through the lens of postcolonial theory, it documents the multiple ways in which that theory and its attendant literary and cinematic production have been shaped by the Soviet experience.
From Internationalism to Postcolonialism addresses this historical blind spot by recounting the story of two Cold War-era cultural formations that claimed to represent the Third World project in literature and cinema: the Afro-Asian Writers Association (1958-1991) and the Tashkent Festival for African, Asian, and Latin American Film (1968-1988). The inclusion of writers and filmmakers from the Soviet Caucasus and Central Asia and extensive Soviet support aligned these organizations with Soviet internationalism. While these cultural alliances between the Second and the Third World never achieved their stated aim - the literary and cinematic independence of the literatures and cinemas of these societies from the West - they did forge what Ngugi wa Thiong'o called "the links that bind us," along which now-canonical postcolonial authors, texts, and films could circulate across the non-Western world until the end of the Cold War.
In the process of this historical reconstruction, From Internationalism to Postcolonialism inverts the traditional relationship between Soviet and postcolonial studies: rather than studying the (post-)Soviet experience through the lens of postcolonial theory, it documents the multiple ways in which that theory and its attendant literary and cinematic production have been shaped by the Soviet experience.
Details
328 Pages, 6 x 9
22 b&w photos
ISBN 9780228001102
March 2020
Formats: Cloth, Paperback, eBook
"From Internationalism to Postcolonialism is groundbreaking. Overturning the overwhelming focus of past scholarship on the Soviet Union’s cultural and political interrelationships with Europe and the West, Djagalov casts light on the extensive network of institutions, relationships and people through which Soviet culture engaged with the global south and the developing world. In so doing, he uncovers an important and profoundly understudied genealogy for anti-imperial and post-colonial thought and action. This book is essential for any scholar or student of global cultural life of the twentieth century." Kevin M.F. Platt, University of Pennsylvania
"This book makes a remarkable contribution to knowledge; it significantly enriches our understanding of Leftist cultural internationalism and challenges much received thinking about world literature. Djagalov's prose is learned and engaging, at times touched by healthy irony, yet never hesitant in conveying a wider sense of commitment." Galin Tihanov, Queen Mary University of London
"Djagalov makes us reconsider familiar assumptions about socialist internationalism, posing important questions about the nature of the affinities between the former Soviet bloc and the Global South and about the past, present and future of international solidarity." Masha Salazkina, Concordia University
"A path-breaking book that will transform the way we think about postcolonial studies, world literature, and studies of the former Eastern Bloc. Djagalov has given us an academic page turner and a tremendously important perspective." Monica Popescu, McGill University
"From Internationalism to Postcolonialism provides a highly valuable reference for readers and scholars interested in the breadth and depth of cultural outreach conducted by the former Soviet Union." Los Angeles Review of Books
"Djagalov's contribution is immense: at once a work of diplomatic history that situates postcolonial literature within the unexpected framework of socialist internationalism, From Internationalism to Postcolonialism is also a rehabilitation of Third World writers whose work largely had been forgotten as unexceptional "national allegory." Djagalov's command of postcolonial studies and Cold War diplomatic history is impressive, and I hope the book finds its audience within both of these divergent fields." H-Net
"The book's underlying idea is that the Soviet Union was engaged in a postcolonial venture before the term became fashionable, focusing on the Afro-Asian Writers Association (1958-91) and the biennial Tashkent Film Festival for African, Asian, and Latin American film (1968-1988), where filmmakers gathered to learn and exchange revolutionary ideas. Recommended." Choice
"In this innovative and meticulously researched book, Rossen Djagalov sets out to map the vast field of cultural engagements be¬tween the Soviet Union and the decolonizing countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. More often it seems as if he is uncovering a new world, heretofore hidden in plain sight by disciplinary silos, language barriers, and ideological myopia." Ab Imperio
“This impressive and timely book is infused with a sense of loss and, at the same time, an anticipation of hope. From Internationalism to Postcolonialism will be enlightening for any scholar of the Russian/Soviet/post-Soviet spaces attentive to the problems of incorporating comparative and transnational methods and perspectives into the study of concrete practices and experiences of Soviet power, both an example of how one might engage in such study, and as an example of a model that challenges previous models of “world” culture.” The Russian Review
“Blending provocative rhetoric with careful archival analysis, Rossen Djagalov’s passionately argued new monograph, From Internationalism to Postcolonialism, makes a compelling case for the need to narrate a new origin story for postcolonial studies … From Internationalism to Postcolonialism’s admirably detailed analysis provides its interdisciplinary audience with a series of counter-intuitive, but convincing, revelations.” University of Toronto Quarterly
"This book makes a remarkable contribution to knowledge; it significantly enriches our understanding of Leftist cultural internationalism and challenges much received thinking about world literature. Djagalov's prose is learned and engaging, at times touched by healthy irony, yet never hesitant in conveying a wider sense of commitment." Galin Tihanov, Queen Mary University of London
"Djagalov makes us reconsider familiar assumptions about socialist internationalism, posing important questions about the nature of the affinities between the former Soviet bloc and the Global South and about the past, present and future of international solidarity." Masha Salazkina, Concordia University
"A path-breaking book that will transform the way we think about postcolonial studies, world literature, and studies of the former Eastern Bloc. Djagalov has given us an academic page turner and a tremendously important perspective." Monica Popescu, McGill University
"From Internationalism to Postcolonialism provides a highly valuable reference for readers and scholars interested in the breadth and depth of cultural outreach conducted by the former Soviet Union." Los Angeles Review of Books
"Djagalov's contribution is immense: at once a work of diplomatic history that situates postcolonial literature within the unexpected framework of socialist internationalism, From Internationalism to Postcolonialism is also a rehabilitation of Third World writers whose work largely had been forgotten as unexceptional "national allegory." Djagalov's command of postcolonial studies and Cold War diplomatic history is impressive, and I hope the book finds its audience within both of these divergent fields." H-Net
"The book's underlying idea is that the Soviet Union was engaged in a postcolonial venture before the term became fashionable, focusing on the Afro-Asian Writers Association (1958-91) and the biennial Tashkent Film Festival for African, Asian, and Latin American film (1968-1988), where filmmakers gathered to learn and exchange revolutionary ideas. Recommended." Choice
"In this innovative and meticulously researched book, Rossen Djagalov sets out to map the vast field of cultural engagements be¬tween the Soviet Union and the decolonizing countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. More often it seems as if he is uncovering a new world, heretofore hidden in plain sight by disciplinary silos, language barriers, and ideological myopia." Ab Imperio
“This impressive and timely book is infused with a sense of loss and, at the same time, an anticipation of hope. From Internationalism to Postcolonialism will be enlightening for any scholar of the Russian/Soviet/post-Soviet spaces attentive to the problems of incorporating comparative and transnational methods and perspectives into the study of concrete practices and experiences of Soviet power, both an example of how one might engage in such study, and as an example of a model that challenges previous models of “world” culture.” The Russian Review
“Blending provocative rhetoric with careful archival analysis, Rossen Djagalov’s passionately argued new monograph, From Internationalism to Postcolonialism, makes a compelling case for the need to narrate a new origin story for postcolonial studies … From Internationalism to Postcolonialism’s admirably detailed analysis provides its interdisciplinary audience with a series of counter-intuitive, but convincing, revelations.” University of Toronto Quarterly
Rossen Djagalov is assistant professor of Russian at New York University, a research fellow at the Poletayev Institute of the Higher School of Economics, and a member of the editorial collective of LeftEast.
Figures / ix
Acknowledgments / xi
Introduction / 3
1 Entering the Soviet Literary Orbit, Early 1920s-Mid-1950s / 32
2 The Afro-Asian Writers Association (1958-1991) and Its Literary Field / 65
3 “The Links That Bind Us”: Solidarity Narratives in Third-Worldist Fiction / 111
4 The Tashkent Film Festival (1968-1988) as a Contact Zone / 137
5 “Brothers!”: Solidarity Documentary Film / 173
Epilogue / 210
Appendix: Lotus Prize Winners, 1969-1988 / 227
Notes / 229
Bibliography / 261
Index / 295
Acknowledgments / xi
Introduction / 3
1 Entering the Soviet Literary Orbit, Early 1920s-Mid-1950s / 32
2 The Afro-Asian Writers Association (1958-1991) and Its Literary Field / 65
3 “The Links That Bind Us”: Solidarity Narratives in Third-Worldist Fiction / 111
4 The Tashkent Film Festival (1968-1988) as a Contact Zone / 137
5 “Brothers!”: Solidarity Documentary Film / 173
Epilogue / 210
Appendix: Lotus Prize Winners, 1969-1988 / 227
Notes / 229
Bibliography / 261
Index / 295
Winner
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Studies in Slavic Languages and Literatures
Modern Language Association
2021
Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Studies in Slavic Languages and Literatures
Modern Language Association
2021
