Decolonising the (Post-)Soviet Screen edited by Heleen Gerritsen and Irina Schulzki

The book Decolonising the (Post-)Soviet Screen emerged from a collaboration between Apparatus Journal and the goEast film festival (2024).

Decolonising the (Post-)Soviet Screen explores the ambivalent legacies of the Soviet Union through a cinematic lens, applying decolonial perspectives. The wide variety of essays demonstrates how decolonial viewpoints can prompt a re-evaluation of what constitutes 'Russian'/'Soviet' culture, extending beyond cinema to encompass the entire cultural sphere. This edited volume presents a diverse array of authors originally from many European and post-Soviet countries, which emphasises its central premise.

It explores how historical narratives and cultural identities have been constructed and understood through film, questioning established perceptions and highlighting the diversity within Soviet cinema. It sheds light on the underlying diversity that exists beyond the region’s colonial frameworks, providing a richer representation of its cinematic heritage. This vantage point not only encourages an exploration of varied cinematic expressions but also de-centres and challenges the traces of the historical empire in the present.

Indispensable for scholars in film studies, postcolonial studies, and East European and Eurasian cultural studies, Decolonising the (Post-)Soviet Screen presents new models for analysing the cinemas of the Russian Empire, USSR, and post-communist Central and Eastern Europe.

Paperback