Urban spaces and lifestyles in Central Asia and beyond: an introduction

Schröder, Philipp

doi:10.1080/02634937.2016.1155862

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 15 publications

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“…Following the dismantling of the Soviet Union, newly independent states in the former peripheries fought to foment national-identity and the built environment became a battlefield for public memory (Alexander, 2007; Hughes, 2017; Paskaleva, 2015). As restrictions on internal migration were relaxed (though not entirely lifted), and more citizens from post-Soviet states travelled abroad to work and sent money back to their families, these cities ‘changed their faces as many newcomers have claimed urban belonging and as new post-Socialist materialities have emerged’ (Schröder, 2016b: 149).…”

Section: Post-soviet Memoryscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ludic lives of memoryscapes: Skateboarding post-Soviet peripheries

McDuie‐Ra

2021

Memory Studies

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Post-Soviet cities vary dramatically yet share common elements desired by skateboarders and filmers as ‘spots’; assemblages of objects, obstacles and surfaces offering the chance to perform difficult skateboard tricks in public space. Memoryscapes are desired as spots for their scale, smooth surfaces, in-built obstacles and aesthetic appeal on video. As more skateboarders travel to post-Soviet cities in Central Asia and the Caucuses, their reinterpretation of memoryscapes reveal the ludic lives of memoryscapes, the interplay between memory and place, and the tension between hegemonic memory practices of state and state-like agents and the seemingly apolitical reinterpretation by skaters. This article explores two contrasting post-Soviet memoryscapes as seen on skate video, Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and Sukhumi (Abkhazia) to make three arguments. First, while battles are fought over public memory online and offline, skaters approach the landscape as ludic space; as playgrounds for unsanctioned performance, capture and circulation. Second, these memoryscapes are enrolled in global circulations of skate culture, giving memoryscapes an adjacent existence online detached from their intended meanings and counter-meanings. Third, in some cases the friction between ludic approaches and the power of memory unravels the singular focus on spots, even for skaters with limited knowledge of the context.

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Section: Post-soviet Memoryscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%