Leniniana and Yugonostalgia: A Visual Study on Post-Socialist Identity and Cultural Memory

Samet Yerköy

Makale detayları

Leniniana and Yugonostalgia: A Visual Study on Post-Socialist Identity and Cultural Memory

Yazarlar:

Samet Yerköy

Yayıncı:

Ataturk University

Ana Başlıklar:

Siyasi Düşünce Tarihi | Siyaset Bilimi (Diğer)

Dergi:

Current Perspectives in Social Sciences Vol.29 Issue 3, pp.430-451

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352593

pISSN:

2822-3160

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 This study aims to examine the relationship between post-socialist identity construction and cultural memory through Leniniana and Yugonostalgia, based on an interdisciplinary visual analysis method. In the post-Soviet and post-Yugoslav periods, the figures of Lenin and Tito were reshaped through visual representations and gained different meanings in collective memory. The study rests on a theoretical framework grounded in collective memory and lieux de mémoire concepts. Leniniana, as one of the most important visual traditions of Soviet ideology, has secured a lasting place in the cultural memory of the Soviet people. However, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lenins public representation changed and acquired new meanings. Similarly, Yugonostalgia represents the nostalgic reshaping of the collective memory constructed under Titos leadership after the collapse of Yugoslavia. The study is based on a qualitative case analysis of various visual materials, including propaganda posters, murals, contemporary artworks, and digital images. The selected images are evaluated in terms of their representation of post-socialist nostalgia, symbolic compensation for ideological voids, and the cultural traces of social identity quests. The interaction between visual images, nostalgia, ideology, and cultural memory is explored, focusing on how these figures have been integrated into new narratives in the post-socialist era. Particular attention is given to how these images have transformed through propaganda and popular culture. The main findings indicate that the images of Lenin and Tito demonstrate that the ideological legacy of past regimes has not been entirely erased from collective memory but rather reproduced in contemporary identity negotiations. In conclusion, the visuals of Leniniana and Yugonostalgia play a critical role in representing post-socialist identities and understanding the evolution of cultural memory, offering significant insights into how post-socialist societies relate to their past.

 This study aims to examine the relationship between post-socialist identity construction and cultural memory through Leniniana and Yugonostalgia, based on an interdisciplinary visual analysis method. In the post-Soviet and post-Yugoslav periods, the figures of Lenin and Tito were reshaped through visual representations and gained different meanings in collective memory. The study rests on a theoretical framework grounded in collective memory and lieux de mémoire concepts. Leniniana, as one of the most important visual traditions of Soviet ideology, has secured a lasting place in the cultural memory of the Soviet people. However, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lenins public representation changed and acquired new meanings. Similarly, Yugonostalgia represents the nostalgic reshaping of the collective memory constructed under Titos leadership after the collapse of Yugoslavia. The study is based on a qualitative case analysis of various visual materials, including propaganda posters, murals, contemporary artworks, and digital images. The selected images are evaluated in terms of their representation of post-socialist nostalgia, symbolic compensation for ideological voids, and the cultural traces of social identity quests. The interaction between visual images, nostalgia, ideology, and cultural memory is explored, focusing on how these figures have been integrated into new narratives in the post-socialist era. Particular attention is given to how these images have transformed through propaganda and popular culture. The main findings indicate that the images of Lenin and Tito demonstrate that the ideological legacy of past regimes has not been entirely erased from collective memory but rather reproduced in contemporary identity negotiations. In conclusion, the visuals of Leniniana and Yugonostalgia play a critical role in representing post-socialist identities and understanding the evolution of cultural memory, offering significant insights into how post-socialist societies relate to their past.

 This study aims to examine the relationship between post-socialist identity construction and cultural memory through Leniniana and Yugonostalgia, based on an interdisciplinary visual analysis method. In the post-Soviet and post-Yugoslav periods, the figures of Lenin and Tito were reshaped through visual representations and gained different meanings in collective memory. The study rests on a theoretical framework grounded in collective memory and lieux de mémoire concepts. Leniniana, as one of the most important visual traditions of Soviet ideology, has secured a lasting place in the cultural memory of the Soviet people. However, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lenins public representation changed and acquired new meanings. Similarly, Yugonostalgia represents the nostalgic reshaping of the collective memory constructed under Titos leadership after the collapse of Yugoslavia. The study is based on a qualitative case analysis of various visual materials, including propaganda posters, murals, contemporary artworks, and digital images. The selected images are evaluated in terms of their representation of post-socialist nostalgia, symbolic compensation for ideological voids, and the cultural traces of social identity quests. The interaction between visual images, nostalgia, ideology, and cultural memory is explored, focusing on how these figures have been integrated into new narratives in the post-socialist era. Particular attention is given to how these images have transformed through propaganda and popular culture. The main findings indicate that the images of Lenin and Tito demonstrate that the ideological legacy of past regimes has not been entirely erased from collective memory but rather reproduced in contemporary identity negotiations. In conclusion, the visuals of Leniniana and Yugonostalgia play a critical role in representing post-socialist identities and understanding the evolution of cultural memory, offering significant insights into how post-socialist societies relate to their past.

 Bu çalışma, Leniniana ve Yugonostalji üzerinden post-sosyalist kimlik inşası ile kültürel bellek arasındaki ilişkiyi disiplinler arası görsel analiz yöntemi temelinde incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Post-Sovyet ve post-Yugoslav dönemlerde Lenin ve Tito figürleri, görsel temsiller aracılığıyla yeniden şekillendirilmiş ve kolektif bellekte farklı anlamlar kazanmıştır. Çalışma, kolektif bellek ve hafıza mekânları kuramları ışığında teorik bir zemine oturmaktadır. Leniniana, Sovyet ideolojisinin en önemli görsel temsil geleneklerinden biri olarak Sovyet halkının kültürel belleğinde kalıcı bir yer edinmiştir. Ancak Sovyetler Birliğinin dağılmasıyla Leninin kamusal alandaki temsili farklılaşmış ve yeni anlamlar kazanmıştır. Benzer şekilde, Yugonostalji, Tito liderliğinde inşa edilen kolektif belleğin, Yugoslavyanın çöküşü sonrasında nostaljik bir unsur olarak yeniden şekillenişini temsil etmektedir. Çalışma, posterleri, duvar resimleri, çağdaş sanat işleri ve dijital imgeler gibi çeşitli görsel materyaller üzerinden yapılan nitel bir örnek olay analizine dayanmaktadır. Seçilen imgeler, post-sosyalist nostaljinin temsili, ideolojik boşluğun sembolik telafisi ve toplumsal kimlik arayışlarının kültürel izleri açısından değerlendirilmiştir. Görsel imgelerin nostalji, ideoloji ve kültürel bellekle etkileşimi ele alınarak, bu figürlerin post-sosyalist dönemdeki yeni anlatılara nasıl eklemlendiği incelenmektedir. Özellikle propaganda ve popüler kültür aracılığıyla bu imgelerin nasıl dönüşüm geçirdiği de tartışılmıştır. Çalışmanın temel bulguları, Lenin ve Tito görsellerinin, geçmiş rejimlerin ideolojik mirasının kolektif bellekten tamamen silinmediğini; aksine güncel kimlik müzakerelerinde yeniden üretildiğini göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak, Leniniana ve Yugonostaljinin görselleri, post-sosyalist kimliklerin temsili ve kültürel hafızanın evrimini anlamada kritik bir rol oynamakta; post-sosyalist toplumların geçmişle kurdukları ilişkiye dair önemli ipuçları sunmaktadır.

Makale detayları

Leniniana and Yugonostalgia: A Visual Study on Post-Socialist Identity and Cultural Memory

Yazarlar:

Samet Yerköy

Yayıncı:

Ataturk University

Ana Başlıklar:

Siyasi Düşünce Tarihi | Siyaset Bilimi (Diğer)

Dergi:

Current Perspectives in Social Sciences Vol.29 Issue 3, pp.430-451

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352593

pISSN:

2822-3160

Leniniana

Yugonostalgia

cultural memory

visual analysis

collective memoryLeniniana

Yugonostalji

kültürel bellek

görsel analiz

kolektif bellek

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Samet Yerköy

Yayıncı: Ataturk University

Ana Başlıklar: Siyasi Düşünce Tarihi | Siyaset Bilimi (Diğer)

Dergi: Current Perspectives in Social Sciences Vol.29 Issue 3, pp.430-451

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 12/2025

Belge Dili: İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.): 2001352593

pISSN: 2822-3160

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Samet Yerköy

Yayıncı:

Ataturk University

Ana Başlıklar:

Siyasi Düşünce Tarihi | Siyaset Bilimi (Diğer)

Dergi:

Current Perspectives in Social Sciences Vol.29 Issue 3, pp.430-451

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

12/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352593

pISSN:

2822-3160