Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Punk Alternative Publications: Challenges to Fugitive Materials

Abstract

Punk scenes are complex and heterogeneous. They have always been prolific producers of physical documentation of their attitudes, beliefs, and actions. At the same time, these scenes have often existed on the margins, which has led to the creation of fugitive collections of self-documentation. In Slavic, East European and Eurasian (SEEE) countries, this documentation has historically taken the form of non-traditional music releases, zines, and samizdat. Due to the often-illegal nature of these creations, the materials did not find immediate homes in official repositories, and the fugitive materials experienced a covert diaspora initially across Eastern Europe and later across multiple continents. The author provides a case study of the current state of collections of non-traditionally published SEEE punk materials to highlight the challenges that face access and use of marginalized, diasporic collections. This paper provides a definition of punk in a SEEE context; offers a literature review to illustrate the discourse and collections that address Slavic and East European punk materials; draws connections between SEEE punk alternative publications and broader marginalized fugitive collections; describes obstacles faced by collections of Slavic punk materials; and concludes by way of recommendations for addressing these challenges in order to improve access and use.