Soviet Americana

The Americanist community played a vital role in the Cold War as well as in large part directing the cultural consumption of Soviet society and shaping perceptions of the US. To shed light onto this important yet under-studied academic community Sergei Zhuk here explores the personal histories of prominent Soviet Americanists considering the myriad cultural influences - from John Wayne's bravado in the film Stagecoach to Miles Davis - that shaped their identities careers and academic interests. Zhuk's compelling account draws on a wide range of understudied archival documents periodicals letters and diaries as well as more than 100 exclusive interviews with prominent Americanists to take the reader from the post-war origins of American studies via the extremes of the Cold War thaw and perestroika to Putin's Russia. <i>Soviet Americana</i> is a comprehensive insight into shifting attitudes towards the US throughout the twentieth century and an essential resource for all Soviet and Cold War historians.