Pride and Panic: Russian Imagination of the West in Post-Soviet Film

Since the fall of Communism, Russians have struggled to reconcile their social traditions with a flood of Western cultural imports. Contemporary Russian cinema has latched on to the resulting confusion and ambivalence, mining societal upheaval for revolutionary cinematic topics. Yana Hashamova explores this largely uncharted territory in Pride and Panic. A groundbreaking study, Pride and Panic probes cinematic representations of the unsettled Russian national consciousness, a complex cocktail of fear, anger, and anxious uncertainty. Hashamova examines the works of both established and lesser-known Russian directors, and she draws thought-provoking parallels between these evolving social attitudes in contemporary Russia and the development of an individual human psyche. The cultural impact of globalization, the evolution of the Russian national identity, and the psychology of a society all intertwine in this fascinating study of the connections between film and political consciousness. “Hashamova speaks to a wide constituency of readers. The accessibility of Pride and Panic commends it as a course reader and handbook for undergraduate students of contemporary Russian film and culture. It can be recommended as a good introduction for members of the general public keen to know more about Russian cinematography and its bearing on the complex identities emerging in post-Soviet Russian today.”—Galina Miazhevich, Russian Journal of Communication “Yana Hashamova offers an important contribution and her analysis is recommended for all levels of interest in post-Soviet Russian cinema, from academic film scholar to cineaste.”—Lars Kristensen, Senses of Cinema “Shows a close reading of a voluminous amount of literature, thoughtful viewings of the films, and the ability to bring quite diverse subject matter and approaches together into a fascinating study of Russian film at the millennium. The scope of this book and its reflective quality should be of interest to scholars and students of Russian history, culture, and film. It is well worth reading.”—Alexandra Heidi Karriker, Russian Review “Political ideology, psychoanalysis and cinema come together in Yana Hashamova’ reading of Russian national identity as developed and expressed through film.”—Trina R. Mamoon, Canadian Slavonic Papers  “Lucid and eminently accessible, Pride and Panic differs from other studies of contemporary Russian film in its theoretical framework, which incorporates psychoanalysis, gender, and concepts of alterity and community to analyze Russia’s post-Soviet embattled cinematic reconstruction of masculine and national identity.  An absorbing read, the book pursues its argument of comprehensive politico-social trauma with consistency and conviction.”—Helena Goscilo, University of Pittsburgh       (20070316)