Description
Book SynopsisThis open access book brings together an eclectic cast of scholars in related disciplines to examine ageing in the Soviet Union, covering the practice of geriatrics, the science of gerontology, and the experience of growing old. Chapters in the book focus on concepts and themes that analyse Soviet ageing in its medical, political and social contexts, both in the Soviet Union and internationally. Ageing was hardly a uniquely Soviet phenomenon: over the past fifty years, moreover, governments and societies have been dealing with steady increases in their ageing populations. Almost paradoxically, however, societal focus on this ageing population, its lives, and its social impact remains extremely limited. Compared to most sciences, gerontology is pitifully underfunded; geriatrics is amongst the least prestigious branches of medicine; and while the world's population is growing undeniably older, great disagreement remains over what can and should be done in response. These were the same c
Trade ReviewA fascinating exploration of a neglected topic that is so important for our understanding of the last days of the USSR, as well as issues for our aging society. * Tricia Starks, Professor of History, University of Arkansas, USA *
Table of ContentsEditors’ Introduction
Part I: Soviet Gerontology and Geriatrics 1. The Legend of Gilgamesh: Attempts towards its Fulfilment in Soviet Gerontology
Vladislav Bezrukov (Institute of Gerontology, Ukraine) and Konstantin Duplenko (Kiev-Mohyla National University, Ukraine) 2. From the Collections of the Medical Museum: Duality in 1920s Soviet Ageing Research
Maria Tutorskaya (Russian Medical Museum, Russia) 3. Ageing Minds and Bodies: Psychiatric Care for the Elderly People in the Post-War Soviet Union
Aleksandra Brokman (Liverpool John Moores University, UK) 4. ‘Dolphin Babies’: The Late Soviet Project of Infant Swimming and the Creation of ‘a New Superhuman Being
Anna Ozhiganova (Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia) Part II: Designing Medical and Social Spaces for Elderly People in the Soviet Union 5. Age and City: Old Age and Urban Planning in Moscow and Kiev
Botakoz Kassymbekova (Liverpool John Moores University, UK) 6. ‘A Quiet Old Age’: Designing Homes for Elderly People
Susan Grant (Liverpool John Moores University, UK) Part III: Representation and Perception 7 The Right to a Personal File: Archiving the Lives of Soviet Pensioners
Alissa Klots (University of Pittsburgh, USA) and Maria Romashova (Perm University History Museum, Russia) 8. The New Soviet Babushka: Popular Perceptions of Elderly Women after Stalin
Danielle Leavitt-Quist (Harvard University, USA) Part IV: International Contexts 9. Ageing and Gerontology in the UK after 1945
Pat Thane (King’s College London, UK) 10. The Burden of Old Age: The Fate of Elderly People in the Polish People’s Republic
Ewelina Szpak (Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland) 11. The Development of Museums of Medicine in Post-Soviet Countries and their Contribution to the History of Medicine
Katarzyna Jarosz (International University of Logistics and Transport, Poland) Epilogue
James Chappel (Duke University, USA) and Isaac McKean Scarborough (Liverpool John Moores University, UK) Index
