VISUALISING POST-SOVIET MODERNITIES: UNRAVELLING MILLENNIAL LIFESTYLES IN BAKU AND ASTANA

Abstract

This thesis investigates the lifestyles of Millennials in Baku and Astana, two post-Soviet cities, with a focus on clothing as a key expression of lifestyle. Observations reveal differences in style choices: Millennials in Astana often favour minimalism, upscale brands, and local designers, while those in Baku demonstrate a more subdued style among men and an emphasis on beauty among women. Understanding these lifestyles is essential, as they can shed light on place attachment and the opportunities available to young adults, illuminating social change within the post-Soviet context.

This research contends that lifestyle differences among Millennials in Baku and Astana reflect underlying post-Soviet dynamics. Unlike their Western counterparts, these Millennials navigate a landscape influenced by regime transitions and global neoliberalism, affecting their generational consciousness. This context creates new opportunities in consumption choices but also imposes challenges, including familial expectations, and neoliberal pressures. In this context, the post-Soviet city functions as a 'laboratory,’ allowing Millennials to redefine their lifestyles.

This study employs a lifestyle concept adapted to the post-Soviet context and applies Contribution Analysis, an approach originally intended for assessing policy programmes, as a meta-level perspective to unravel the meanings behind lifestyle choices. Theoretical considerations are operationalised through a socio-semiotic ethnography that draws on a diverse array of data sources, including street style photography, interviews with 65 Millennials, expert insights, archival materials, and online resources.

This thesis categorises six style archetypes along the male/female and mainstream/alternative axes in both cities. In Baku, young men adopt muted styles as armour against societal expectations, while women draw on cultural values in beautification. A bohemian subculture emerges to challenge mainstream norms. In Astana, hipster style serves as a cultural intermediary, creating new social distinctions. Young men embrace entrepreneurial identities shaped by neoliberal expectations, while women restyle modern femininity.

The findings indicate that Millennials in Baku encounter restrictive discourse, as well as gender and structural barriers, particularly affecting young men seeking reintegration into society. In contrast, Millennials in Astana perceive more opportunities to negotiate their identification, which in turn strengthened their sense of belonging. However, in both cities, young adults actively shape their urban spaces, blending Soviet influences with localised modernity.