Into the cosmos : space exploration and Soviet culture /

This volume, coedited by Russianists specializing in space history, assembles eight contributions on Soviet space culture, primarily during the Khrushchev era. All ten chapters (two contributed by the editors) are of consistently good quality and seek to present the many facets that Soviet space identity assumed. These range from painting the cultural context of Sputnik to examining the complex image of the cosmonaut-hero, and the impact of early spaceflight on notions of religion, gender, consumerism, and the Cold War. These are fresh contributions relying on previously unexploited sources; all challenge the Western notion that the exploits of the Soviet space program registered solely as a manipulation from the top. In fact, Soviet popular fascination with space had a mystical dimension that did not always agree with party apparatchiks. Other leitmotivs include the tradition of deeply embedded state secrecy facing the conundrum of publicizing success while offering minimal information about its technology. This insightful examination of Soviet culture does not whitewash it, but shows instead a society seeking to recover from the Stalinist era by expressing genuine pride in a new achievement, all the while exhibiting early cynicism about some of Soviet Communism's promises. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers. G. P. de Syon Albright College