Friederike Kind-Kovacs – författare

In many ways what is identified today as “cultural globalization” in Eastern Europe has its roots in the Cold War phenomena of samizdat (“do-it-yourself” underground publishing) and tamizdat (publishing abroad). This volume offers a new understanding of how information flowed between East and West during the Cold War, as well as the much broader circulation of cultural products instigated and sustained by these practices. By expanding the definitions of samizdat and tamizdat from explicitly political print publications to include other forms and genres, this volume investigates the wider cultural sphere of alternative and semi-official texts, broadcast media, reproductions of visual art and music, and, in the post-1989 period, new media. The underground circulation of uncensored texts in the Cold War era serves as a useful foundation for comparison when looking at current examples of censorship, independent media, and the use of new media in countries like China, Iran, and the former Yugoslavia. 

Radio monitoring is an important feature of broadcasting history and monitoring reports form a treasure trove for historians. This volume offers six case studies that provide new insights on the importance of radio monitoring during the Second World War and the Cold War.

Radio broadcasting is not only about transmission, but also about listening. From the start of the medium’s history, radio organisations institutionalised services to monitor the broadcasts of stations from all over the globe and write daily reports about them. This act of listening provided valuable information about the situation in various parts of the world or insights into the communication strategies of broadcasters. As a result, collections of monitoring reports are bulky, containing countless documents which form a treasure trove for radio historians. At the same time researchers need to be aware that these sources are far from neutral: monitoring services often serve clear geopolitical objectives in context of conflict situations. This volume explores the rich history of radio monitoring during the Second World War and the Cold War. As such it offers original case studies that shed light on previously unknown radio histories. Moreover, all the authors reflect on the use of monitoring reports as a historical source and as such provide methodological guidelines.

This volume will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of media history, war studies, media studies, sociology, and cultural studies. It was originally published in Media History.

Radio monitoring is an important feature of broadcasting history and monitoring reports form a treasure trove for historians. This volume offers six case studies that provide new insights on the importance of radio monitoring during the Second World War and the Cold War.

Radio broadcasting is not only about transmission, but also about listening. From the start of the medium’s history, radio organisations institutionalised services to monitor the broadcasts of stations from all over the globe and write daily reports about them. This act of listening provided valuable information about the situation in various parts of the world or insights into the communication strategies of broadcasters. As a result, collections of monitoring reports are bulky, containing countless documents which form a treasure trove for radio historians. At the same time researchers need to be aware that these sources are far from neutral: monitoring services often serve clear geopolitical objectives in context of conflict situations. This volume explores the rich history of radio monitoring during the Second World War and the Cold War. As such it offers original case studies that shed light on previously unknown radio histories. Moreover, all the authors reflect on the use of monitoring reports as a historical source and as such provide methodological guidelines.

This volume will be a key resource for academics, researchers, and advanced students of media history, war studies, media studies, sociology, and cultural studies. It was originally published in Media History.