The Resurgence of Cold War Imagery in Western Popular Culture
The portrayal of Russia in Western popular culture has served various purposes, particularly between 1945 and 1991. With a few exceptions, Soviet citizens, particularly Russians, have been shown as, alternatingly, backwards peasants and cunning enemies. In the post-1991 period, this tradition of sho...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | English English |
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Florida State University
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| Online Access: | http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-9476 |
| Summary: | The portrayal of Russia in Western popular culture has served various purposes, particularly between 1945 and 1991. With a few exceptions, Soviet citizens, particularly Russians, have been shown as, alternatingly, backwards peasants and cunning enemies. In the post-1991 period, this tradition of showing Russia as the enemy continued in film and television, but tapered off in favor of more seemingly relevant foes on the world stage. While film analyses focusing on the portrayal of Russia and Russians have been done, the renewal of focus on Cold War imagery in reference to Russia and the West has not been commented on. Because of the so-called Illegals Program uncovered in 2010, the attempted "reset" between the United States and the Russian Federation, increased Western media coverage of human rights issues in Russia, and many other types of exposure, including the annexation of Crimea and the conflict with Russia-backed anti-Kiev militias in eastern Ukraine, Russia has taken center-stage and is subject not only to international scrutiny, but also to rehashed prejudices and outdated knowledge of the country that stems from old antagonisms. The television programs The Americans, Archer, and Doctor Who all look at Russia and the relationship of Russia with the West through a Cold War lens. I argue that this resurgence is in response to both Cold War nostalgia and a renewal of Russia's relevance on the world stage. By analyzing these programs, it will be shown that the types of information and impressions that are being promoted by popular culture of late at once serve to provide nuance to an ordinarily one-sided and limited portrayal of Russia and its people, and at the same time reinforce old, stale images of the "Evil Empire" that only serve to prevent understanding and cooperation between the citizens of the West and of Russia. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. === Spring Semester, 2015. === April 16, 2015. === Archer, Cold War, Doctor Who, Television, The Americans === Includes bibliographical references. === Lisa Wakamiya, Professor Directing Thesis; Robert Romanchuk, Committee Member; Leigh Edwards, Committee Member. |
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