The history of Soviet architecture from a hundred-year distance: Some notes on the current state of research

Abstract

The publication presents a series of short interviews with several prominent historians of Soviet architecture. During the last few decades, there has been an explosive increase of research in this field. Such a wave of publications might be viewed as either the revision of existing concepts or as their development. Is there any peculiar perspective and specific methodology typical of recent studies of Soviet architecture of the first half of the 20th century? Is it fruitful to employ a “political” methodology that connects architectural processes, buildings and designs, above all, to the taste and demands of Soviet power? What scope of research seems to be the most promising: from the general history of Soviet architecture to the microhistory of specific phenomena? What issues do the interviewees focus on in their research: the history of professional institutions, the works of individual architects, the history of architectural form, ideas, theory, schools, design techniques, center-periphery relations, etc.? In their opinion, what types of research are still missing?