Szamanizm syberyjski na ekranie radzieckim: film etnograficzny Czasy snów (1982–1999, Andris Slapiņš, ZSRR/Łotwa) jako przejaw późnosowieckiej kultury intelektualnej
Viktoria Vasileva
Poznańskie Studia Polonistyczne Seria Literacka October 21, 2026 DOI: 10.14746/pspsl.2026.50.5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the making of Andris Slapiņš's ethnographic film Dream Time, about officially nonexistent Siberian and Far Eastern shamanic traditions, depended on a coincidence of historical circumstances termed "late" socialism. Contends that "late" socialism should be understood not only as political, economic, and ideological change but also as a distinct type of intellectual culture. |
Abstract
The article is devoted to the history of the ethnographic film Dream Time (1982/1999) by Soviet/Latvian cameraman Andris Slapiņš (1949–1991), which was the result of a long-time work of research expeditions organised in the 1980s by the Folklore Commission of the Union of Soviet Composers. The focus of the musical folklore researchers and the cinematographer was on the live shamanic traditions of Siberia and the Far East. In order to organise field research and create a film about shamans who officially did not exist in the USSR, a coincidence of historical circumstances was necessary, which is known in academic literature as “late” socialism. The article attempts to explain this term and show that it not only covers only political, economic and ideological changes, but also presents the period of “late” USSR as a specific type of intellectual culture.