The Graphic Image of the 'Enemy' in Medical Periodicals of the Ukrainian SSR in the 1920s: Shaping the Identity of the 'SovietPerson'

• Published in: Tekst ì obraz: aktualʹnì problemi ìstorìï mistectv no. 1; pp. 39 - 55
• Main Author: Adamska, Iryna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2025
• ISSN: 2519-4801; 2519-4801
• DOI: 10.17721/2519-4801.2025.1.03

This article aims to analyse the processes of social categorisation and the dissemination of stereotypes, focusing on the construction of the 'enemy' image and its key components as promoted by the Soviet authorities in Ukraine through graphic illustrations in medical popular science periodicals during the second half of the 1920s. Methods. The article is based on an analysis of visual and textual materials from the popular medical journal “Shliakh do zdorovia” (“The Path to Health”), published in the Ukrainian SSR since 1925. The research employs approaches from social identity theory and stereotype theory, as well as semantic analysis of both texts and images. Results. The Soviet regime pursued a policy of constructing antagonistic social groups and defining them in ways that allowed the population to identify them quickly. Through graphic illustrations published in newspapers and journals, the Bolsheviks created and disseminated negative portrayals of specific social groups. Medical periodicals had their own distinctive features: the image of the 'enemy' was shaped within the context of addressing public health issues. As part of broad campaigns against tuberculosis, alcoholism, and religion, the Bolsheviks portrayed the bourgeoisie, merchants, landowners, clergy, and officers of the Tsarist army in an unfavourable light. These groups were accused of having played an 'anti-people' role in the past, were blamed for current social problems, and their actions were contrasted with the alleged improvements brought about under Soviet rule. Other groups deemed 'undesirable' by the regime – such as folk healers, private physicians, and entrepreneurs more broadly were also subject to criticism. Furthermore, in the latter half of the 1920s, the regime continued to circulate traditional 'enemy' images from the revolutionary period, including those of the Makhnovists and White Guards. Conclusions. The Soviet system of propaganda and agitation relied on a variety of methods for disseminating information, including specialized periodicals such as medical journals. Graphic imagery played a key role in embedding desired messages in the public consciousness. In the 1920s, the Bolsheviks developed a complex image of the 'enemy', encompassing various population groups united by shared characteristics – such as affiliation with the 'former ruling classes', a lack of subordination to the new regime, or opposition to the Bolsheviks during the revolutionary period. This constructed antagonism toward internal 'enemies' played a crucial role in shaping the mentality and identity of Soviet Ukrainian society, particularly among workers and peasants, who were intended to form the social base of the Bolshevik state.