Chronicles in Stone: Preservation, Patriotism, and Identity in Northwest Russia

Chronicles in Stone is a study of the powerful and pervasive myth of the Russian Northwest, its role in forming Soviet and Russian identities, and its impact on local communities. Combining detailed archival research, participant observation and oral history work, it explores the transformation of three northwestern Russian towns from provincial backwaters into the symbolic homelands of the Soviet and Russian nations.

The book's central argument is that the Soviet state exploited the cultura...