In the Soviet House of Culture

by Bruce Grant

Release Date: 02 October, 1995

Edition: Paperback

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Landmark ethnography of Siberian accessible to non-academics

In the House of Soviet Culture is the first recipient of the American Ethnological Society Book Prize for First Book, and rightfully so, for Bruce Grant has given us a great ethnography of the Nivkh on Sakhalin Island, combining his own experiences on the island with detailed historical analysis. Masterfully combining fieldwork and oral history with archival and published historical materials, Grant narrates the history of these Siberian people, or, rather, histories, through the juxtaposition of different perspectives on the past.
The Nivkhi (or Gilyaks, as known in pre-war publications) have played an important role in the formation of Soviet and Russian anthropology, like the Kwakiutl in the United States. Nivkhi became the definitive example of savages in Russian ethnographic literature, which built upon the evolutionary theory of developmental stages outlined by Morgan and Engels. As "poster children" of the revolution the Nivkhi have served as a changing symbol of the "primitive" in Russian and Soviet thought. They were alternatively, and sometimes simultaneously, an example of the most primitive stage of social development, and, as "primitive communists," an example of the most advanced communist society. As such, an history of the Nivkhi is not only about one native Siberian people, but about the rise and fall of Soviet anthropology, from its birth as a profession at the turn of the century to its death and surreal rebirth during Stalin's Terror.

In the preface, Grant outlines three arguments that underpin his book. His primary task is to "challenge the lens of timeless exotica through which we so often view indigenous peoples" (xii). Nivkhi have thought of themselves as active participants in the Soviet program of cultural construction and social policies. Secondly, he wants to "produce new readings of Soviet and post-Soviet nationality policies that recognize the very hybrid identities produced by the Soviet state." This identity-production "was reasonably effective among Nivkhi, and that brings us closer to understanding some of the mechanisms of persuasion and control by which states exert hegemony over their constituents." The "invention of tradition" by the state is his third problem, and Grant foregrounds the problematic nature of authenticity or even "traditional culture" in the context of modern societies.
Grant's prose is witty and entertaining. The reader gets a sense of competing narratives of native history and never loses sight of the ethnographer in his discussion of contemporary Nivkh. Grant makes extensive use of quoted dialogue between informants and himself and narrates personal experiences in an engaging manner to illustrate breakdowns in Soviet society of the early 1990s, rather than presenting lifeless structures. This book is full of personalities that invigorate history as rarely encountered in academic writing.
Despite the great strengths of this book, Grant may not be entirely successful in fulfilling the ambitious program outlined in the introduction. Grant's theoretical introduction and conclusion surround material that is not as connected to the introductory and concluding points as it could be. For example, Nivkh "denials of culture" do not seem to be "strategic inversions" providing Nivkhi "symbolic capital amid the ruins" of the myths of traditional culture and Soviet society (158). Rather, they seem to be symbolic (ethno-)suicide, like the toast of a former Nivkh communist: "No one believes in anything. You can't trust anyone. Nothing is interesting. So eat. Food is our only insurance" (155).
These differences of interpretation do not detract from Grant's contribution or the usefulness of his ethnography. There is much fascinating material deserving more space than I have available to discuss. For example, some of the turns in Soviet anthropology of the twenties and thirties, calling for the erasure of "this line between subject and object" seem almost postmodern (77). This is the rare ethnography that is a genuine pleasure to read, and I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a great ethnography of Siberia.

Friendly but Scholarly

Bruce Grant's work is well-researched and extremely well-organized. It is easy to read and interspersed with anecdotes about his travels on Sakhalin island. The book includes some excellent photography. Grant's main thesis centers around the idea that the Nivkhi tribe of Sakhalin island experienced the Soviet era as a "roller coaster" of policy shifts culminating in a sense of "culturelessness." The book covers pre-Revolutionary times a little bit, and then documents the treatment of Nivkhi throughout the Soviet era. A recommended read for anyone studying Siberia during Stalinism or Soviet times.