Media and Early Soviet Publics

A study of media informed by the idea of social revolution. We will consider how filmmakers, photographers, artists, and writers engaged with Marxist ideas in the wake of Russia's 1917 Revolution, and how they aimed to shape, influence, and involve new audiences in their political project. We will examine how the development of "new" media (radio, film, documentary) was informed by ideology, and compare/contrast this Soviet media with its Western counterparts. Topics to be addressed include propaganda and agitation; masses, classes, collectivities; ownership of media; and gender and political change.