Looking at Soviet Legacies through Opera Glasses: The 1937 Opera Koroghlu and Azerbaijan’s Present Use of the Past – American Research Institute of the South Caucasus

by Professor Isabelle Kaplan, Howard University and ARISC Junior Research Fellowship awardee.

Keywords: Soviet Union; ethnic minorities; Azerbaijan; opera; cultural experience; cultural legacy

Module Description: Even as Russian language and cultural hegemony dominated the Soviet Union, there were spaces in between that reveal robust artistic activity among some ethnic minorities. With a focus on Azerbaijan, the module explores this space through the story behind the appearance of the opera Koroghlu. Students will gain knowledge of the Soviet period, the histories of the independent states that emerged from the Soviet collapse, and Soviet policy toward non-Russian ethnic minorities.

Cover sheet | PowerPoint | Lecture notes

in the U.S.:
American Research Institute of the South Caucasus
c/o Talin Lindsay
Dept. of Anthropology
Purdue University
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in Armenia:
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in Georgia:
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in Azerbaijan:
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