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E-book
Author Lewis, Cathleen S., 1958- author.

Title Cosmonaut : a cultural history / Cathleen S. Lewis
Published Gainesville : University of Florida Press, [2023]

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Description 1 online resource (xvii, 301 pages) : illustrations (chiefly color)
Contents Introduction -- The Birth of the Cosmonaut: "Real Cosmonaut Lives" as a Guide to Youth, the Nation, and the World -- The Women: The Collison of Expectations in Domestic and International Politics -- New Cultures of the Cosmonaut: Collectibles, Monuments and Film -- A Removal and Three Deaths: The Declining Official Need for Heroes -- Outpost in the Near Frontier: Orbiting Space Stations during the Era of Stagnation -- Remembrance of Hopes Past: Nostalgia and Editing Public History -- Epilogue
Summary "Examining material and cultural representations of the cosmonaut program, Cathleen Lewis discusses how the public image of the Soviet cosmonaut developed beginning in the 1950s and the ways this icon has been reinterpreted throughout the years and in contemporary Russia"-- Provided by publisher
"How the public image of the Soviet cosmonaut was designed and reimagined over timeIn this book, Cathleen Lewis discusses how the public image of the Soviet cosmonaut developed beginning in the 1950s and the ways this icon has been reinterpreted throughout the years and in contemporary Russia. Compiling material and cultural representations of the cosmonaut program, Lewis provides a new perspective on the story of Soviet spaceflight, highlighting how the government has celebrated figures such as Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova through newspapers, radio, parades, monuments, museums, films, and even postage stamps and lapel pins. Lewis's analysis shows that during the Space Race, Nikita Khrushchev mobilized cosmonaut stories and images to symbolize the forward-looking Soviet state and distract from the costs of the Cold War. Public perceptions shifted after the first Soviet spaceflight fatality and failure to reach the Moon, yet cosmonaut imagery was still effective propaganda, evolving through the USSR's collapse in 1991 and seen today in Vladimir Putin's government cooperation for a film on the 1985 rescue of the Salyut 7 space station. Looking closely at the process through which Russians continue to reexamine their past, Lewis argues that the cultural memory of spaceflight remains especially potent among other collective Soviet memories"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on July 18, 2023)
Subject Astronautics -- Russia (Federation) -- History
Astronautics -- Soviet Union -- History
Astronautics -- Social aspects -- Russia (Federation)
Astronautics -- Social aspects -- Soviet Union
Astronauts -- Russia (Federation) -- History
Astronauts -- Soviet Union -- History
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture.
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies.
Astronautics.
Astronautics -- Social aspects.
Astronauts.
Russia (Federation)
Soviet Union.
Genre/Form History.
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2022058143
ISBN 9781683403944
1683403940
1683403819
9781683403814