Soviet Satire in Central Asia:
agitprop, environmentalism and social critique in the pages of Hedgehog
In this talk, she will discuss a selection of the satirical cartoons in Khorpushtak (Hedgehog), a Tajik Soviet satirical magazine published every 1-2 weeks between 1953 and the early 1990s. We will consider images spanning this half century, and trace the evolution of the magazine’s coverage of key themes in the postwar decades in Soviet Central Asia. While Flora J. Roberts is particularly interested in charting the emergence of an environmentalist discourse in the pages of Hedgehog, we will also discuss images addressing Islamic observance and the alleged social harms associated with religiosity, and reflecting social anxieties regarding the status of women, and gender relations. We will address the generic aspects of satire and its specificities within the Soviet context, the position of Hedgehog within the ecosystem of the official Communist press, and explore how the journalists and artists were able to develop and air distinct positions, that might differ markedly from the Party’s official position.
Avec tous nos remerciements pour votre aimable intérêt, et nos cordiales salutations,
Lili Di Puppo, Stéphane Dudoignon, Léo Maillet
