Photography and Political Repressions in Stalin’s Russia

Defacing the Enemy

Denis Skopin

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Routledge
07 October 2024

History of Art & Design Styles; Photography & photographs

Series: Routledge History of Photography

"This book is devoted to the phenomenon of removal of people declared ""public enemies"" from group photographs in Stalin’s Russia.

The book is based on long-term empirical research in Russian archives and includes 57 photographs that are exceptional in terms of historical interest: all these images bear traces of editing in the form of various marks, such as blacking-out, excisions or scratches. The illustrative materials also include a group of photographs with inscriptions left by officers of Stalin’s secret police, the NKVD. To approach this extensive visual material, Denis Skopin draws on a wealth of Stalin-era written sources: memoirs, diaries and official documents. He argues that this kind of political iconoclasm cannot be confused with censorship nor vandalism. The practice in question is more harrowing and morally twisted, for in most cases the photos were defaced by those who were part of victim’s intimate circle: his/her colleagues, friends or even close family members.

The book will be of interest to scholars working in history of photography, art history, visual culture, Russian studies and Russian history and politics."

By: Denis Skopin
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 246mm, Width: 174mm,
ISBN: 9781032027074
ISBN 10: 103202707X
Series: Routledge History of Photography
Pages: 156
Publication Date: 07 October 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction 1. Stalin’s Repressions: Historical Overview and Theoretical Examination 2. “Portrait” Criminal Cases 3. Group Portraits: Ontological and Political Backgrounds of the Genre 4. Collapse of Interpersonal and Family Relationships During the Terror: Editing Photographs of Friends and Family Members 5. The Photographs of “Former People” in the NKVD Card Indexes and Edited Photographs of the Secret Police Officers Conclusion

Denis Skopin is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Saint Petersburg State University, Russia.