Photography and Political Repressions in Stalin's Russia: Defacing the Enemy

This book explores the phenomenon of removing people declared public enemies from group photographs in Stalin's Russia, using 57 photographs and inscriptions from the secret police. It argues that this practice was more harrowing and morally twisted than censorship or vandalism, as it was often done by the victims' intimate circle. The book will interest scholars in history of photography, art history, visual culture, Russian studies, and Russian history and politics.

Format: Hardback
Length: 156 pages
Publication date: 30 March 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book delves into a fascinating phenomenon that occurred during the reign of Stalin in Russia: the removal of individuals deemed public enemies from group photographs. Through extensive empirical research in Russian archives, the author has compiled a collection of 57 exceptional photographs, each bearing traces of editing, including blacking-out, excisions, or scratches. These images provide a unique glimpse into the historical context of the era. Additionally, the book includes a group of photographs with inscriptions left by officers of Stalins secret police, the NKVD, adding another layer of intrigue to the narrative.

To navigate this vast visual material, Denis Skopin draws on a wealth of written sources from the Stalin era, including memoirs, diaries, and official documents. His analysis challenges the notion of conflating this political iconoclasm with censorship or vandalism, emphasizing that it is a more harrowing and morally twisted practice. What makes this situation particularly poignant is that in most cases, the individuals who defaced the photographs were part of the victims intimate circle: colleagues, friends, or even close family members.

This book appeals to scholars and enthusiasts alike who are interested in the history of photography, art history, visual culture, Russian studies, and Russian history and politics. It offers a profound exploration of a lesser-known aspect of Soviet history, shedding light on the complex dynamics and moral dilemmas of that period. The photographs themselves serve as powerful visual evidence of the human cost of political repression, reminding us of the importance of preserving and studying our shared history to learn from the past and build a more inclusive and just society.

Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032027050