Scan barcode
A review by qnawal97
Sovietistan by Erika Fatland
3.0
Actual Rating: 3/5
——————————
A interesting read about one of the most vastly underrepresented and unknown regions in the world. Each chapter was insightful and covered multiple facets of the sociopolitical landscape. The transitions from one country to another were also thoughtful. It was also helpful to hear about the experiences of life in the former Soviet republics from different countrymen themselves. One thing I take issue with, and I’m unsure if this is meant to be sarcasm/satire, but the book often mentions and ends with in the 2nd to last page with this idea that the Soviets “liberated” and brought “modernization” to the Central Asian countries. I find this undertone to be extremely short-sighted and regressive because, while there are some individuals the author spoke with who may look back to the “old days” and have Soviet nostalgia, it is strange to see the narrator seemingly making such an opinion having no relation to this region or understanding of the complexity and the irreparable harm and cultural genocide also committed by the Russians. I feel like at times the researcher was failing to maintain relativity and felt her opinions coming through. For example, calling certain parts of a country “god-forsaken” simply because it’s the desert? I don’t know it felt less anthropological and more like a travel diary.
——————————
A interesting read about one of the most vastly underrepresented and unknown regions in the world. Each chapter was insightful and covered multiple facets of the sociopolitical landscape. The transitions from one country to another were also thoughtful. It was also helpful to hear about the experiences of life in the former Soviet republics from different countrymen themselves. One thing I take issue with, and I’m unsure if this is meant to be sarcasm/satire, but the book often mentions and ends with in the 2nd to last page with this idea that the Soviets “liberated” and brought “modernization” to the Central Asian countries. I find this undertone to be extremely short-sighted and regressive because, while there are some individuals the author spoke with who may look back to the “old days” and have Soviet nostalgia, it is strange to see the narrator seemingly making such an opinion having no relation to this region or understanding of the complexity and the irreparable harm and cultural genocide also committed by the Russians. I feel like at times the researcher was failing to maintain relativity and felt her opinions coming through. For example, calling certain parts of a country “god-forsaken” simply because it’s the desert? I don’t know it felt less anthropological and more like a travel diary.