The Construction of the Image of the USSR and Its Perception by American Journalists during the Thaw Period

This study is devoted to the analysis of impressions of American journalists in the context of official tourism in the USSR during the "Thaw". The thesis of the study is the idea that foreign tourism in the Soviet Union was one of the variants of performativity, since all the best exhibited "show off" for the foreign guests, hiding the unadorned aspects of reality. This eventually led American tourists to critical discussions about "show-off" and the play of "Sovietness". Methodologically, the research develops the concept of "performative shift", directed not only on the interaction of the Soviet state and Soviet society, but also on the interaction of the Soviet state and foreign guests. This seems absolutely fair, since performance characteristics are reflected in the organization of foreign tourism in the USSR. The "show" process itself became ritualized, as the same exemplary institutions were visited, standard routes were developed, texts of excursions in the language of authoritative discourse convincing of the superiority of socialism were repeatedly reproduced by guides. Performativity was manifested, firstly, in the methods of admission of American journalists in the USSR, and secondly, in their discussions about the play of "Sovietness".