Synopses & Reviews
Since tsarist times, Roma in Russia have been portrayed as both rebellious outlaws and free-spirited songbirdsandmdash;in each case, as if isolated from society. In Soviet times, Russians continued to harbor these two, only seemingly opposed, views of andldquo;Gypsies,andrdquo; exalting their songs on stage but scorning them on the streets as liars and cheats. Alaina Lemonandrsquo;s
Between Two Fires examines how Roma themselves have negotiated these dual images in everyday interactions and in stage performances.
and#9;Lemonandrsquo;s ethnographic study is based on extensive fieldwork in 1990s Russia and focuses on Moscow Romani Theater actors as well as Romani traders and metalworkers. Drawing from interviews with Roma and Russians, observations of performances, and conversations, as well as archives, literary texts, and media, Lemon analyzes the role of theatricality and theatrical tropes in Romani life and the everyday linguistics of social relations and of memory. Historically, the way Romani stage performance has been culturally framed and positioned in Russia has served to typecast Gypsies as andldquo;naturalandrdquo; performers, she explains. Thus, while theatrical and musical performance may at times empower Roma, more often it has reinforced and rationalized racial and social stereotypes, excluding them from many Soviet and Russian economic and political arenas. Performance, therefore, defines what it means to be Romani in Russia differently than it does elsewhere, Lemon shows. Considering formal details of language as well as broader cultural and social structures, she also discusses how racial categories relate to post-Soviet economic changes, how gender categories and Euro-Soviet notions of civility are connected, and how ontological distinctions between andldquo;stage artandrdquo; and andldquo;real lifeandrdquo; contribute to the making of social types. This complex study thus serves as a corrective to romantic views of Roma as detached from political forces.
Review
andldquo;This is an extraordinarily insightful account of the performance of being andlsquo;Gypsyandrsquo; in Russia. Theoretically sophisticated, it illuminates Russian as well as Romani culture, and delves into issues of naming, mobility, transgression, and authenticity. This book is a must for anyone interested in advances in anthropology as well as contemporary Russian culture.andrdquo;andmdash;Caroline Humphrey, coauthor of The End of Nomadism? Society, State, and the Environment in Inner Asia
Review
andldquo;Between Two Fires addresses an important series of topics for anthropology in general and for the study of the Soviet Union and for postsocialist Russia in particular. Lemon weds current theoretical concerns to an understudied but significant community.andrdquo;andmdash;Martha Lampland, author of The Object of Labor: Commodification in Socialist Hungary
Review
andldquo;The highlight of Lemonandrsquo;s book is her discussion of the archival record of a Lovari Romandrsquo;s trial and the interpretation of it by his descendants, to whom she read the material. . . . [S]he is imaginative and insightful in her analysis of Pushkin. . . . [A] valuable contribution. . . .andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Lemon has produced an innovative and path-breaking analysis of some of the representational challenges facing Muscovite Roma. . . . It is not possible in a short review to do justice to the range of interests and concerns Lemon covers.andrdquo;
Review
andquot;[A]n insightful, engaging monograph on the Russian Romani experience. . . . [I]nformative, illuminating, and a major contribution to the study of Romani culture. . . . Lemon presents a sensitive, informed portrait of the Romani Theatre and Romani communities in todayandrsquo;s Russia. Between Two Fires is a powerful, exquisitely researched monograph that contributed significantly to the study of Romani society, Russia, performance, ethnicity, and culture.andquot;
Review
andquot;This is a ground-breaking work that engages with race and performance in the post-Soviet space. . . . Lemon's theoretical sophistication and political awareness, besides the obvious focus on performance, make this work appealing to performance/theatre studies readers.andquot;
Synopsis
Since Tsarist times, Roma in Russia (known to others as Gypsies) have been portrayed as rebels, isolated from society and excluded from mainstream history. In Soviet times, Russians harbored two opposing views of Roma, exhalting Romani theater and song but believing Gypsies in the street to be liars and thieves. Alaina Lemon's Between Two Fires examines how Roma themselves have negotiated such dualities, in both everyday interactions and in stage performances.
Lemon's ethnographic study is based on extensive fieldwork in Russia during the 1990s, focusing on Moscow Romani Theater actors as well as Romani traders and metalworkers. Drawing from interviews, observation, archival work, literature, and media, Lemon analyzes the role of performance and theatricality in Romani social life and memory. Racial and social prejudice against Gypsies runs so deep in part because of the very ways their stage performances have been culturally framed and positioned, allowing Gypsies to be typecast as "natural" performers.
Performance may at times empower Roma, but it more often reinforces stereotypes, keeping them at the margins of Russian economic and political life. Lemon argues that performance is integral to Romani not only in these ways, which define what it means to be Romani in Russia as opposed to somewhere else, but also in the ways it structures Romani memory of the Soviet past. In addition to her focus on Romani performance and memory, Lemon discusses racial categories, gender, class, and the economic changes in post-Soviet Russia. Her complex portrait of this minority will serve as a corrective to simplistic and romantic views of Roma.
One of few ethnographies of East European Romaavailable in English, Between Two Fires will be welcomed by anthropologists, sociologists, specialists in Russian and post-Soviet studies, performance theorists, and those with an interest in Romani culture.
Synopsis
The gypsies of Russia and the part they have played in both Soviet and Post-Soviet society.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-292) and index.
About the Author
“The highlight of Lemon’s book is her discussion of the archival record of a Lovari Rom’s trial and the interpretation of it by his descendants, to whom she read the material. . . . [S]he is imaginative and insightful in her analysis of Pushkin. . . . [A] valuable contribution. . . .” - Judith Okely, Times Literary Supplement“Lemon has produced an innovative and path-breaking analysis of some of the representational challenges facing Muscovite Roma. . . . It is not possible in a short review to do justice to the range of interests and concerns Lemon covers.” - Michael Stewart, Slavic Review"[A]n insightful, engaging monograph on the Russian Romani experience. . . . [I]nformative, illuminating, and a major contribution to the study of Romani culture. . . . Lemon presents a sensitive, informed portrait of the Romani Theatre and Romani communities in today’s Russia. Between Two Fires is a powerful, exquisitely researched monograph that contributed significantly to the study of Romani society, Russia, performance, ethnicity, and culture." - Margaret H. Beissinger, Slavic and East European Journal"This is a ground-breaking work that engages with race and performance in the post-Soviet space. . . . Lemon's theoretical sophistication and political awareness, besides the obvious focus on performance, make this work appealing to performance/theatre studies readers." - Ioana Szeman, Theatre Research International“Between Two Fires addresses an important series of topics for anthropology in general and for the study of the Soviet Union and for postsocialist Russia in particular. Lemon weds current theoretical concerns to an understudied but significant community.”—Martha Lampland, author of The Object of Labor: Commodification in Socialist Hungary“This is an extraordinarily insightful account of the performance of being ‘Gypsy’ in Russia. Theoretically sophisticated, it illuminates Russian as well as Romani culture, and delves into issues of naming, mobility, transgression, and authenticity. This book is a must for anyone interested in advances in anthropology as well as contemporary Russian culture.”—Caroline Humphrey, coauthor of The End of Nomadism? Society, State, and the Environment in Inner Asia