Music of the Free World in an Unfree Country

Reassessing Acoustic Environment in Ukrainian SSR

Abstract

Purpose. The article aims to reconceptualise scholarly approaches to examining the acoustic environment of Soviet Ukraine. Using works produced by representatives of various historiographical schools, it examines how scholarly approaches to this phenomenon have evolved over time.

Methods. Through an analysis of works from different historiographical traditions, the study traces methodological shifts – from rigid ideological frameworks characteristic of Soviet scholarship to contemporary interdisciplinary sound studies that integrate cultural anthropology, social history, and the anthropology of sound.

Results. The research identifies the main stages in the evolution of studies on the acoustic environment: from ideologically driven portrayals framing sound as an instrument of political propaganda to more nuanced understandings of sound as a key marker of cultural resistance and personal identity. Promising avenues for further research are outlined, including the use of digital technologies, the expansion of the primary source base through oral history, and the exploration of archives of domestic sound recordings.

Conclusions. The article suggests a new framework for examining sound in the Soviet context, combining historical analysis, cultural studies approaches, and the anthropology of sound, thus enabling a comprehensive assessment of the role of the acoustic environment in shaping socio-cultural reality.