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"Being vnye": Mylène Farmer and French Pop Music in Post-Soviet Russia
Kaznacheeva, Anna ; Havelková, Tereza (advisor) ; Kratochvíl, Matěj (referee)
The thesis examines how French popular music is experienced in post-Soviet Russia based on the Russian reception of the contemporary French singer Mylène Farmer. Farmer has remained popular in Russia ever since her songs and music videos entered the country following the collapse of the USSR. Producing complex and intellectually demanding audiovisual projects, the French artist attracts the audience aspiring to be perceived as today's Russian intellectual elite. The following analysis proves that while popular music is marginalised inside Russian cultural hierarchies, highbrow French songs tend to function as acknowledged sources of cultural capital. The thesis outlines the history of the Russian reception of French (popular) culture to show that Farmer's success in the country is closely connected with traditional Russian fascination with France. Drawing on the concept of the Imaginary West developed by the anthropologist Alexei Yurchak, the research follows how Russian attitude towards the West has shaped - and has been shaped by - the reception of French popular music. Key words: Mylène Farmer, popular music, videoclip, French pop, Russia, Imaginary West
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