The Unmaking of Soviet Life

In order to understand today's Russia and former Soviet republics, it is vital to consider their socialist past. Caroline Humphrey, one of anthropology's most highly regarded thinkers on a number of topics including consumption, identity, and ritual, is the ideal guide to the intricacies of post-Soviet culture. The Unmaking of Soviet Life brings together ten of Humphrey's best essays, which cover, geographically, Central Russia, Siberia, and Mongolia; and thematically, the politics of locality, property, and persons.

Bridging the strongest of Humphrey's work from 1991 to 2001, the essays do a great deal to demystify the sensational topics of mafia, barter, bribery, and the new shamanism by locating them in the lived experiences of a wide range of subjects. The Unmaking of Soviet Life includes a foreword and introductory paragraphs by Bruce Grant and Nancy Ries that precede each essay.

List of Illustrations

vii

Foreword: The Shifting Fields of Culture and Society after Socialism

ix

Bruce Grant

Nancy Ries

Note on Transliteration

xiii

Abbreviations and Terms

xv

Introduction

xvii

Part I: The Politics of Locality in an Unstable State

1

(64)

``Icebergs,'' Barter, and the Mafia in Provincial Russia

5

(16)

Mythmaking, Narratives, and the Dispossessed in Russia

21

(19)

Creating a Culture of Disillusionment: Consumption in Moscow, a Chronicle of Changing Times

40

(25)

Part II: Strategies beyond the Law

65

(82)

Traders, ``Disorder,'' and Citizenship Regimes in Provincial Russia

69

(30)

Russian Protection Rackets and the Appropriation of Law and Order

99

(28)

Rethinking Bribery in Contemporary Russia

127

(20)

Part III: Rethinking Personhood

147

(76)

Avgai Khad: Theft and Social Trust in Postcommunist Mongolia

153

(11)

The Domestic Mode of Production in Post-Soviet Siberia?

164

(11)

The Villas of the ``New Russians'': A Sketch of Consumption and Cultural Identity in Post-Soviet Landscapes

175

(27)

Shamans in the City

202

(21)

Notes

223

(24)

Bibliography

247

(12)

Index

259

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Unmaking of Soviet Life

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials