Back in the U.S.S.R.: Russian Popular Music in the Times of Military Censorship

Authors

  • Ekaterina Ganskaya IASPM Italia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5429/2079-3871(2024)v14i2.3en

Keywords:

censorship, protest music, Russian popular music, oppositional art, anti-war songs

Abstract

The article deals with the field of popular music in Russia in the aftermath of the Ukraine invasion on 24 February 2022. It focuses on the changing public perception and governmental response towards Soviet music stars as well as younger generation of musicians who have taken an anti-war stance. The article also analyses the efforts of state ideologists to create a patriotic music scene that can silence dissenting voices. The framework used juxtaposes contemporary tactics with Soviet-era practices. The author analyses the current official critical discourse on Russian popular music, exploring the work of modern music censorship, the primary mechanism governing the Russian popular music market since the full-scale invasion began.

Author Biography

Ekaterina Ganskaya, IASPM Italia

Ekaterina Ganskaya is a third-year doctoral student at the University of Turin (Italy), developing a research project on diverse discourses surrounding peripheral— Soviet and Italian—music markets.

Her research interest lies in the fields of history of music journalism, history of propaganda and censorship, ideological and meanings’ shaping processes in the field of popular music.

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Published

06-11-2024