Early Soviet Americanism as Political Discourse and as Artistic Practice

FAIN: FA-50422-04

Yuri Tsivian
University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637-5418)

The aim of the project is to study the image of America as it took shape in Russia in the wake of the Socialist Revolution of 1917. It will be a book-length study on debates that put forth the "American example" as a potential model for building new Soviet society, and on their impact on Soviet art and film of the 1920s. I will explore links between Russian Americanism and Society Constructivism and look at specific devices associated with Americanism in Constructivist cinema, theatre and dance. I will also look at the impact of popular genres of American literature and film on Soviet writers and filmmakers. When published, the book should contribute not only to ongoing debates about the role of American cinema in the evolution of international film industry, but also to a larger, cross-disciplinary inquiry into the lineages of cultural interaction at the dawn of the past century.

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