Browsing by Subject "Plastic People of the Universe"

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To burn, to howl, to live within the truth : underground cultural production in the U.S., U.S.S.R. and Czechoslovakia in the post World War II context and its reception by capitalist and communist power structures
(2019-05-09) Smith, Mark, master of arts in Slavic and Eurasian studies Alan; Garza, Thomas J.; Richmond-Garza, Elizabeth; Nehring , Neil R; Kornhaber, David D
This dissertation considers the synchronicities of underground cultural production following World War II in the U.S., U.S.S.R., and Czechoslovakia. All three of these chronotopic locations served as the backdrop for underground literary and musical cultural movements that challenged the dominant power structures of their respective countries. The cultural production of the Beat Generation in the US, the “New Wave” of Russian literature in the U.S.S.R., and the members of literary and musical underground movements in Czechoslovakia, attempted to open a dialogue with existent power structures in an effort to express the human experience in a manner that fell outside of the purview of hegemonic societal and governmental forces. In analyzing the work of Vasily Aksyonov, Allen Ginsburg and Egon Bondy, amongst other members of their respective movements I will demonstrate the viability of underground cultural production as a means of speaking truth to inherent power structures, as well as its ability to function as a galvanizing force that enables individuals who normally fall outside of the purview of dominant discourse to coalesce in a meaningful way. I also consider the responses of entrenched capitalist and communist power structures including cooptation, commoditization, manipulation, normalization and repression as means of removing agency from dissenting voices. In applying the Bakhtinian theories of the chronotope, the dialogic, and the grotesque in tandem with the Habermasian theories of the public sphere and lifeworld, a picture begins to emerge that informs the formation and relevance of underground cultural movements. Moving into the 21st century I contend that vibrant and relevant forms of underground cultural production must continue to endure in order to challenge entrenched power structures, as well as to explore alternative avenues of expression that can benefit the progression of humanity. The relevance of underground culture in the modern context is demonstrated by its continuing viability the US, UK, and Russia, amongst many other countries. Moving forward I will apply the same theoretical parameters to modern variants of cultural production, as well as examine the impact of the Internet, in order to establish the role of underground cultural production and its reception by dominant power structures.