The Heritage Industry Russian Style

Abstract

In advanced capitalist democracies, increased historical referencing has occurred within a context of changing regulatory modes from Fordism to post-Fordism. In post-Soviet Russia, historical referencing differs because of the confluence of three transitions: Fordism to post-Fordism, socialism to capitalism, and Soviet Russia to post-Soviet Russia. This article documents the use of history and culture by the Russian urban government in Yaroslavl' as a means of achieving stability. The author argues that the local government used historical referencing to attract the gaze of the international tourist and investor as well as the gaze of the Russian public.