Dacha Idylls: Living Organically in Russia's Countryside
Melissa L. Caldwell
(Author)
Description
Dacha Idylls is a lively account of dacha life and how Russians experience this deeply rooted tradition of the summer cottage amid the changing cultural, economic, and political landscape of postsocialist Russia. Simultaneously beloved and reviled, dachas wield a power that makes owning and caring for them an essential part of life. In this book, Melissa L. Caldwell captures the dacha's abiding traditions and demonstrates why Russians insist that these dwellings are key to understanding Russian life. She draws on literary texts as well as observations from dacha dwellers to highlight this enduring fact of Russian culture at a time when so much has changed. Caldwell presents the dacha world in all its richness and complexity--a "good life" that draws inspiration from the natural environment in which it is situated.
Product Details
Price
$114.00
Publisher
University of California Press
Publish Date
October 28, 2010
Pages
224
Dimensions
6.1 X 9.0 X 0.8 inches | 0.95 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9780520262843
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliateAbout the Author
Melissa L. Caldwell is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the author of Not by Bread Alone: Social Support in the New Russia (UC Press).
Reviews
"[Caldwell's] insight into Russian life is impressive. . . . The book undeniably deserves to be read and appreciated."-- "Europe-Asia Studies" (8/16/2012 12:00:00 AM)
"Valuable and accessible. . . . Dacha Idylls is an evocative and original examination of a central aspect of Russian life."--Susanne Cohen "American Anthropologist" (6/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"Any future scholar working on modern Russian rural life would do well to read this book. It provides an excellent survey of the field."--John Randolph "Journal of Modern History" (6/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"Valuable and accessible. . . . Dacha Idylls is an evocative and original examination of a central aspect of Russian life."--Susanne Cohen "American Anthropologist" (6/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"Any future scholar working on modern Russian rural life would do well to read this book. It provides an excellent survey of the field."--John Randolph "Journal of Modern History" (6/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)