Shevtsova A.A., Grin'ko I.A. The iconography of national conflicts in Soviet satirical media (1980-1991)

Abstract: The object of this research is the portrayal of ethnic conflicts in Soviet caricature. The subject of this work is the national policies and inter-ethnic relations during late USSR. Based on the illustrations of leading satirical magazine of the USSR the authors show that caricature was used as a tool of national policies, and attempt to examine the mechanism of this work in the 1980-1991s. The source material are the illustrations of one of the leading Soviet magazines that existed since 1922 - the "Krokodil" satirical magazine that reached 6.5 million circulations. Due to its potential, "Krokodil" not only allowed to successfully form ethnic stereotypes in the minds of Soviet citizens, many of which exist today, it also set the tone for Soviet satire as a whole. Based on content analysis and visual comparative research of iconographic scenes the article traces the dynamics of the "national issue" becoming relevant in Soviet satirical discourse during the period of study. The understatement of ethnic problems by "Krokodil" created the illusion of the "national issue" being resolved. However if during earlier decades the images with ethnic content constituted a narrative of harmony, late 80s demonstrate a different trend. The visual humour and satire were used to stop and prevent ethnic conflicts in Soviet Union, but on a limited scale and with a considerable delay.

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