Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / The Art of Agitation in Chukotka in the Late Soviet Period: “Meetings beyond the 180th Meridian”

Full text (.pdf)
Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2026 19 (2)
Authors
Davydov, Vladimir N.; Shulgina, Olga M.
Contact information
Davydov, Vladimir N. : Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation); Chukotka Branch of the Northern Federal University (Anadyr, Russian Federation); ; Shulgina, Olga M.: Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation); Chukotka Branch of the Northern Federal University (Anadyr, Russian Federation)
Keywords
Soviet agitation; agitation race; Arctic; Chukotka; communication; flying photo exhibition
Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of agitation in Chukotka during the late Soviet period using a specific event as an example. Using a microhistorical approach, the authors attempt to reconstruct the context of the agitation trip that took place in the summer of 1985 on the steamship “Captain Sotnikov”. A key objective of the agitation and propaganda campaigns conducted in Chukotka was communication with dwellers of remote settlements. These included meetings between cultural workers from the regional center and local administration representatives, as well as agitation events organized for local people. In 1985, the agitation team successfully implemented a series of traveling photo exhibitions, which were displayed in the field. The organizers displayed photographs in familiar settings for local inhabitants, creating a temporary exhibition space that facilitated communication. The use of “landscape” for display created an important strategy for blurring the boundaries between the photographers and their audience. Organizing agitation trips in Chukotka was crucial for monitoring Soviet construction on the ground, planning across all spheres of Soviet society, and identifying problems that arose locally and required specific solutions from administration officials. The Chukotka agitation trip was an extremely dynamic event, allowing for a short tour of selected settlements and the collection of information on ongoing events. This was essential for compiling the adequate picture of situation on the ground, summarizing the collected materials, analyzing them, and identifying solutions to the actual problems and improving various aspects of life in the settlements and working collectives visited by the propaganda teams

Pages
410–423
EDN
YNTPMZ
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/158162

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