DOI: https://doi.org/10.34680/urbis-2025-5(2)-311-320
The Soviet “Palace of Culture” as a center of urban culture (the case of Abovyan)
Haykuhi Muradyan
Yerevan State University, Yerevan, Armenia
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia
ORCID: 0009-0003-5399-5080
ABSTRACT
The study examines the Soviet Palace of Culture in Abovyan as an institutional mechanism for shaping urban culture and disseminating ideology. The study compares the organizational models of the Palace of Culture and the PREP. Based on analyses of institutional structures and collective memory, the study examines the dual function of the Palace of Culture as both a center of cultural consolidation and a means of promoting Soviet values. Their different but complementary roles within the Soviet ideological framework are also revealed. The results show that the Palace of Culture served as a comprehensive integration mechanism that promoted the cultural adaptation of various groups in the urban population, including migrants from rural areas to cities, across all demographic segments - from children to the elderly. Personal stories reveal multi-layered memories of the Palace's activities, reflecting various stages of life and emotional ties to this institution. The study conceptualizes the Palace as a cultural-structural mediator that regulates the interface between rural and urban semiotic systems. In the study, the Palace is conceptualized as a cultural and structural mediator regulating the interaction between rural and urban semiotic systems. In the context of Abovyan, the definition of the population's origin and the stratification of cultural values serve as an analytical prerequisite for studying the dynamics and development of urban culture.
KEYWORDS: Palace of Culture, House of Culture, Abovyan, Soviet industrial cities, Soviet Armenian culture, repatriation.
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Information about the author
Haykuhi M. Muradyan
Cand. Sci. (Culturology), Associate Professor,
Chair of Cultural Studies, Faculty of History
Yerevan State University
1, Alex Manoogian St., Yerevan, 0025, Armenia
ORCID: 0009-0003-5399-5080
Scopus AuthorID: 59314012600
e-mail: [email protected]
For citation:
Muradyan, H. (2025). The Soviet “Palace of Culture” as a center of urban culture (the case of Abovyan). Urbis et Orbis. Microhistory and Semiotics of the City, 5(2), 311–320. https://doi.org/10.34680/urbis-2025-5(2)-311-320
