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Brandon Schechter looks at the Great Patriotic War Through Everyday Objects
The Soviet state reduced the soldier’s biography to the parameters that the army was interested in.
Excerpt from Brandon Schechter's “The Stuff of Soldiers: A History of the Red Army in World War II Through Objects"
This book tells the story of that dramatic change—from a desperate, retreating band to a victorious army—as experienced by soldiers. The years 1941–1945 replayed in real life a universal tale...
The Stuff of Soldiers: A History of the Red Army in World War II Through Objects
Soldiers are constructing whatever they can: Oil cans become stoves, artillery shells become kerosene lamps, overcoat fabric becomes wicks. Government officials regularly checked these trench “cities” for proper ventilation, light,...
What Russians Think When They Hear the Word "Nazi"
Claiming that a country whose head of state is a Jew with relatives who died in the Holocaust is a “neo-Nazi” state is absurd. Yet for many Russians, this claim...
"Social divisions among the barely literate in the Soviet Union of 1939-40: an exercise in historical sociolinguistics”, a talk by Alexander Nakhimovsky
A historical sociolinguistic study of social groups in early 20th century Russia reveals particular social dialects among peasants.
"On Narratives of Possibility and the Nature of Social Protest": A colloquium discussion with William Rosenberg
William Rosenberg discusses the multiplicity of narratives that shaped the Revolution.
Starvation and Survival on the Soviet Home Front during World War II
To combat starvation and the shortages, the Soviet state undertook a massive campaign to develop culinary experimentation through foraging and research. Although state sponsored, the effort was largely pioneered from...
Technology, Ideology and Culture: Legacies of Soviet-African Relations
Historians and anthropologists discuss the impacts and legacies of Soviet-African relations of the 20th century.