| Unit name | Identity Crisis: The Search for a Post-Soviet Russian Identity in Russian Fiction Since 1991 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM2058 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Chitnis |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
none |
| Co-requisites |
none |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The loss of the politically charged Soviet identity with the break-up of the soviet Union in late 1991 returned Russian intellectuals to the age-old problem of Russian national identity and whether it lies in the west, east, somewhere in between or nowhere. In this unit (which can be studied in translation), we shall explore how post-Soviet Russian fiction reflects this crisis, the chaos of identity as Russia opened up to globalization, the problem of reconciling identity and history, attitudes to the West and to other natrions, identity and postmodernity, the place of the intellectual and the enduring need for a strong Russian identity. Writers likely to be stiudied include Buida, Makanin, Pelevin, Popov, Sorokin and Tolstaia, but the reading list may be tailored to suit the specific interests and linguistic skills of the group.
