This scholarly work examines the development of anthropology in the Soviet Union during the pivotal decades of the 1920s and 1930s. Frédéric Bertrand analyzes how the discipline evolved during this period of radical social transformation, exploring the tensions between Marxist theoretical frameworks and ethnographic practice. The book investigates the institutional and intellectual configurations that emerged as Soviet anthropologists navigated between revolutionary ideals and the practical demands of building a socialist society. Drawing on historical analysis, the study illuminates how political upheaval shaped scientific inquiry and contributed to a fundamental rupture in the field's trajectory during these critical years.