JOURNAL ARTICLE

State Property Belongs to All and Everybody: A History of Commons in the USSR (and Beyond).

  • Published In: Kritika: Explorations in Russian & Eurasian History, 2025, v. 26, n. 2. P. 444 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: OBERLÄNDER, ALEXANDRA 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on Xenia Cherkaev's book, "Gleaning for Communism," which offers a new anthropological perspective on property and ethics in the Soviet Union from Stalin to Gorbachev. Cherkaev introduces the concept of the "socialist household" economy, emphasizing mutual self-help as a political morality that shaped Soviet economic practices. Through interviews and analysis of cultural texts, she explores how Soviet citizens navigated economic challenges by engaging in informal transactions framed as ethical actions for the common good, contrasting this with Western notions of private ownership. The book argues for a re-evaluation of Soviet economic history, highlighting the importance of collective property and the moral dimensions of economic behavior in understanding the longevity and eventual collapse of the Soviet system. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Kritika: Explorations in Russian & Eurasian History. 2025/04, Vol. 26, Issue 2, p444
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:1531-023X
  • DOI:10.1353/kri.2025.a960345
  • Accession Number:185397399
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Kritika: Explorations in Russian & Eurasian History is the property of Slavica Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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