Kathryn David

kathrynerindavid@gmail.com
Articles by Kathryn David

In Putin’s Vision of Ukraine’s Past, A Warning About Russia’s Future

On 12 July 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin published a historical essay titled “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians.” He frames the essay as a follow-up to a comment he made on “Direct Line,” the annual call-in show where Putin answers questions from constituents. On this occasion, Putin characterized Russians and Ukrainians as “a single people” [Rus. voobshche odin narod]. Expanding on his original comment, the Russian president offers a version of historical events suggesting that today’s ruptures between Russians and Ukrainians have no basis in reality, but are instead rooted in artificial divisions constructed and exploited by both foreign powers and the Soviet Union.

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Easter in Russia: Between Church and State, a New Divide Has Risen

The enormous variances in how priests chose to observe Easter this year in Russia hints at the broader context that frames the divide between those following church-related COVID restrictions and those ignoring them: the complex relationship between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian state.

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First as Tragedy, then as Kitsch: A Bitter Harvest Review

In the middle of a party, Stalin inexplicably shouts “Damn those Ukrainians!”

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Edward Cohn explores “prophylactic policing” in the Soviet Baltics

On April 1, 2015, the NYU Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia welcomed Edward Cohn for a colloquium on “A Soviet Theory of Broken Windows: Policing and the KGB’s Struggle With the Baltic States.” Cohn, Associate Professor of History and chair of the Russian, Central, and Eastern European Studies concentration at Grinnell College, was introduced by Arturas Rozenas, Assistant Professor of Politics at NYU. The presentation and discussion focused on a paper that will become part of a larger research project on Soviet strategies of policing in the Baltics.

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Putin’s Not-so-Modest Proposal

Deeply concerned about anti-Semitism in Europe, Putin issued a formal invitation for Jews who are feeling unsafe in Europe to move to Russia.

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For God and Stalin

The Orthodox Church and Stalin are having a moment.

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Welcome to Ukrainian 101

Even as our textbook rejects so-called “Russified” grammar structures and vocabulary, it does not offer the word “zhid” as a proper term for “Jew.” I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who uses the term “zhid” as their go-to example of Ukrainian linguistic oppression. Ukrainians who lament the Russification of their language still use the term “yevrei.”

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The Fascism That Wasn’t

The media seemed to be surprised by one election outcome: the failure of Ukraine’s right-wing parties to secure significant votes.

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Protocols of the Elders of Ukraine

The flyer played upon the fears that continue to plague Jews around the world: unstable governments will ultimately turn their forces on the Jews, especially countries with long histories of anti-Semitism.

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Transnistria, Crimea, Russia: There Goes The Neighborhood

None of the former Soviet territories exist in a vacuum and any declaration of independence or separatism will always involve the support or condemnation of more powerful and influential actors.

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Diplomatic and Undiplomatic Language, or Just say “Ы”!

Lately, it has not only been the vowels that have been hard to stomach in Russia.

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