Approaches to Rus/Soviet Hist

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

This course is a core colloquium providing an analytical examination of the major schools and approaches that have shaped and continue to influence the history of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The focus is on English-language historiography, although some Russian/Soviet and European contributions and trends are considered as well. The course begins by examining the history of Russian Studies after World War II. It proceeds to analyze the split between those interpreting imperial Russia as European and those understanding its trajectory as a special path. It then imparts a critical exploration of such areas as the new imperial history, interpretations of the Russian Revolution, totalitarianism theory and revisionism, the history of everyday life, the cultural turn, and transnational history. But the course is about more than historiography. Even when readings concentrate on past debates in the field, they have also been selected with an eye toward shedding light on the current state of knowledge and relevance for discussions today. In addition, the course proceeds chronologically to treat selected historical developments, processes, and turning points in modern Russian/Soviet history that have been focal points for the successive methodologies and interpretations in the field.