Visualizing Cultural Opposition: Folklore Movement in Late Soviet Latvia
Visualizing Cultural Opposition: Folklore Movement in Late Soviet Latvia

Summary/Abstract: The folklore movement, synonymous with ‘folk revival’, is both an emic and etic term describing the increased interest in folklore across large parts of Latvian society from the late 1970s to the 1990s. Aimed against stylized folklore performances promoted by the Soviet cultural policy, the folklore movement became a powerful expression of countercultural creativity and an alternative lifestyle. As a form of cultural opposition, it was part of the Singing Revolution (1987–1991). The aim of the article is to explore folklore movement-related expressions of cultural opposition that were carried out in the visual realm. Based on interviews, analysis of visual materials, and published sources, the article examines three cases of visual opposition and self-representation within the folklore movement in Latvia. First, folk costume and self-fashioning trends reveal a curious connection between the folklore movement and hippie imagery. Second, the Sovietbanned carmine red-white-carmine red flag of the independent Republic of Latvia is considered in the context of the International Folklore Festival Baltica ’88, marking the point at which the folklore movement gained clear political outlines. Third, the uses of folk ornament, which extended beyond the circles of the folklore movement, functioned as a culturally grounded tool for expressing dissent, and provided a shared repertoire of visual symbols.

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