TYUMEN “STALINKAS” AND THEIR INHABITANTS IN SOVIET AND POST-SOVIET EVERYDAY LIFE

Abstract

This article studies a topical problem: the history of Tyumen “Stalinkas” in the 1930s-1950s and the everyday urban life of their inhabitants. The authors aim to show the process of pre- and post-war construction of residential buildings to provide apartments for Tyumen residents. Housing is considered as a necessary component of human activity. The object of the study is an architectural ensemble of pre- and post-war Tyumen, which reflected the realities of the 1930-1950s. It was a time when slogans of equality were proclaimed, the authorities said that they would provide the same opportunities for life and self-realization for all Soviet citizens. However, the houses in the center of the city with spacious apartments were built for the Soviet elite, and small apartments of poor quality on the outskirts of the city — for workers. Housing for workers was located far from educational, leisure, and retail outlets. Using the new documentary data, introduced for the first time into academic circulation, and taking into account a comprehensive approach to the study of the topic, the authors show the impact of housing development on urban daily life. “Stalinkas” are considered a legacy of the era of the cult of personality, which allows studying people’s everyday life, taking into account their social stratification based on their life, housing, everyday practices, and opportunities to participate in urban life. The results show that “Stalinkas” are not only our past, but also our present, they are a clear proof of the construction of a bright future, which has proven to be unattainable, and their construction stopped shortly after Stalin’s death. Further study of urban ordinariness and everyday practices of citizens will bring us closer to understanding the phenomenon of the “Soviet” as an essential part of Russian identity.