Post-Cold War kids: changing representations of Russia and the Cold War in American children's film, 1992-2001

This thesis is a study of representations of Russia and the Cold War in American children's films from the 1990s. By analyzing nine movies, this work explores the question: what messages about Russia and the Cold War do nineties children's movies contain? This analysis explores the othering of Russian characters, the treatment of Cold War sentiments, such as toxic masculinity, and the recycling of tropes. It looks at the attempts, or failures, to move away from the negative messages about Russia that the American media used in the 1950s and through the 1980s, specifically in the context of children's media. This study finds that although some of the films only engage with Russia on a surface level and continue to use the tropes and techniques used during the Cold War to other Russia, a majority of the films engage with the topic on a deeper level. In such cases, Russian characters are more relatable and the sentiments of the Cold War are criticized.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Russian, E Eur, Eurasian St

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2016

Author dc:creator

• Celmer, Samantha Marie

Contributors dc:contributor

• Cooper, David
• Buckley, Cynthia

• Russia
• Cold War
• United States
• American Cinema
• Children's Media

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2016 Samantha M. Celmer

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/92847

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/92847