In the early years of the Cold War, the skyline of Moscow was forever transformed by a citywide skyscraper building project. As the steel girders of the monumental towers went up, the centuries-old metropolis was reinvented to embody the greatness of Stalinist society. This talk delves into the ideological tensions and social cleavages exposed by Stalinist skyscraper construction. Contrasting the ideal city of the plan with the shadow city that emerged to support it, the talk focuses on the challenges posed by the displacement of residents away from plots chosen for monumental redevelopment.
Katherine Zubovich is Assistant Professor of Russian History at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. In 2021-22, she is a James H. Billington Fellow at the Kennan Institute in Washington D.C.. Her first book, Moscow Monumental: Soviet Skyscrapers and Urban Life in Stalin’s Capital, was published by Princeton University Press in Dec 2020. Shortlisted for the 2021 Pushkin House Russian Book Prize, Moscow Monumental explores the history of skyscraper building in the Soviet capital during the late Stalin era.
This event will be held virtually as a Zoom meeting for non-NYU affiliates. NYU affiliates my attend the event in person at the Jordan Center.
