Between Winning and Losing the Cultural Cold War – The Soviet Ministry of Culture and Musical Infrastructures During the Cold War
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The article analyzes the Soviet Ministry of Culture in the late Soviet period as an agent facilitating the transfer of music within the socialist bloc and to the West. Conceptualizing Soviet musical infrastructures as an imperfect ensemble of state-run institutions for the production and distribution of music, the article focuses on three case studies to explore how the Ministry, as the organizer of “progressive Soviet musical culture,” navigated the ideological challenges of the Cold War era, the various practical tasks of global music markets, and its diverse audiences. By examining contractual agreements with Western record companies, the mechanisms of music distribution within the socialist bloc, and Soviet concert tours in the Global South, the article carves out the possibilities and limits of Soviet attempts to capitalize on their musical cultures both symbolically and economically.
Source: New Global Studies
Authors: Zbigniew Wojnowski, Michel Abesser
Institutions: University of Oxford, University of Freiburg
Language: English
Topic: Soviet and Russian History
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,712
OpenAlex ID: W4408445225