'The east is a delicate matter' or soviet orientalism in films about Central Asia 1955-1970

From the day modernity was instilled with the invention of motion picture, cinema has become a crucial instrument in the construction of identity and the development of the common sense of belonging. The issue of the Soviet representation of its own Orient, namely central Asia and its inhabitants via the 'most important art' as was emphasized by Vladimir Lenin, till this day has been significantly neglected within academia as a valuable source of research. The 'movies for the masses' which were made in the Soviet vostok (east/orient) or about it, through the complexity of ideas, together make up the Soviet Orientalist films' canon. This MA thesis sheds a new light on the discussions concerning Soviet Orientalism through the discursive analysis of the four different Soviet films that were produced during 1955-1970 visualizing central Asia. Also, my MA thesis demonstrates the continuity and connection of orientalist discourse in various types of Russia statehoods by providing the overview of the relationship between the Russian and its 'oriental' neighbors. Through an analysis of the discursive technics that were implemented in these cultural productions that aimed to visualize Central Asia from a 'Soviet' Weltanschauung, I aim to analyze how these tools were utilized to reconcile the Muslim heritage of certain Soviet territories with the presence of socialism. One wonders how the Soviet anti-imperialist rhetoric visualized in the context of the civilizatory mission? How exactly was the establishment of the Soviet authority depicted in films produced for a central-Asian audience allowing it to influence perceptions in the periphery of the Soviet? As such, this thesis will make a contribution to understanding the relationship between power and representation paradoxically manifested in the cinema productions of the Soviet towards central Asia during 1955-1970.