Prof. Adrienne Edgar, “Intermarriage and the Friendship of Peoples: Ethnic Mixing in Soviet Central Asia”

Adrienne Edgar‘s new monograph, Intermarriage and the Friendship of Peoples, is the first book to examine ethnic and racial mixing in the Soviet Union. In marked contrast to its Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union celebrated mixed marriages among its diverse ethnic groups as a sign of the unbreakable friendship of peoples and the imminent emergence of a supra-ethnic “Soviet people.” Yet the official view of ethnic nationality became increasingly primordial and even racialized in the final Soviet decades. In this context, mixed families and individuals found it impossible to transcend ethnicity, fully embrace their complex identities, and become simply “Soviet.” 

This event is sponsored by the Center for Cold War Studies and International History. Delicious refreshments will be served!