A newsletter devoted to diversity and opportunity in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, published by the Duke-UNC Joint Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies
Overheard in Russian archives:
"What if God were one of us. . ." (hummed by a guard).
"Photocopies cost five dollars per page."
"Your microfilm is ready but you can't have it today. Lena is out sick and she has the key to the office where your microfilm is."
" We can not locate the item you requested: it is lost."
"The reading room will be closed for renovations."
"There will be no heat in the archive today."
Conducting dissertation research is never dull and mining Russian archives proved no exception. I recently took advantage of UNC's exchange with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and spent September and October in Moscow researching my dissertation on Soviet children's literature. Building on previous archival work, I had carefully mapped out my research plan and was thus able to work quickly and effectively. I pored over documents, seeking to understand what Soviet children's literature was and what it meant to be Soviet. Ironically, while I was investigating "Sovietness," I found myself in the midst of post-Soviet dissonance. My experience, particularly with the human component of conducting scholarly work in Russia, illustrates the utter randomness characteristic of the post-Soviet disorder.
At the present time, in Russia, the unusual somehow seems de rigueur. To make ends meet, one children's literature library on Tverskaia reluctantly sold some of its space to an expensive European clothier. Archives and libraries close for unspecified lengths of time because they can afford neither heat nor electricity. Workers go without pay for months. In the former Lenin Library, frail and rare books remain in circulation because the library lacks the resources to sort through them.
My experience was both aggravating and gratifying. Because I had identified the documents I was looking for and their locations, I was able to photocopy and microfilm all of the materials I requested. Rather than the ten or eleven-day wait I was warned about, I received my documents in one or two days at RGALI. Prices, I learned, are not fixed and workers vary in their computation of "cost." When I went to pick up, review, and pay for my photocopies at RGALI, the woman at the cash box said I only needed to pay one dollar per page rather than the five dollars initially quoted. When I tried to give her ten dollars as a token of appreciation, she protested. She accepted the gift only when I convinced her that she could use the money to buy tea and cookies for the entire office.
Other archives held similar surprises. In RTsKhIDNI, one archivist spent the better part of a morning trying to find a working microfilm reader and then patiently showed me how to hand feed the film. At the Lenin Library, I befriended a kind soul in the photocopy department. To break the ice, she said she liked my earrings. I quietly gave them to her in the spirit of camaraderie. When I checked in the next day, she was wearing my earrings and my copies were ready two days ahead of schedule. When I bid farewell to her on my last day she hugged me, wished me a safe journey home, and made me promise to return soon.
In the reading rooms, I worked alongside Russians and other Americans, sharing research tips and cold medicine. The Russian researchers were predominantly graduate students at MGU or more senior scholars. I met fellow history graduate students from Stanford, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Texas, and other major American research universities. Their dissertation topics were innovative and drew from newly accessible archival materials. In this intellectual, international milieu, I ran into Duke's Ron Bobroff who is on IREX in Russia this year making progress on his dissertation "The Sazonov Foreign Ministry, 1910-1916: Russian Diplomacy in an Autocratic and European Crisis." Two colleagues from UNC's History Department are also in Moscow: Mike Snyder is researching the early days of Soviet television and Tony Young is gathering materials for a study of popular culture in Moscow during World War II. North Carolina was so well-represented in the archives that one bewildered employee asked me to explain the connection between UNC and Russian history!
I also "consulted" with two children's literature specialists from the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute. The younger of the two lived with her husband, daughter, and Persian cat in a four-room apartment replete with two computers, a big-screen television, and an espresso machine. One of the surprising things I encountered during my trip was the different expectations people had when they provided services such as consultations. For example, this scholar expected to be paid in dollars for our tutorials. In contrast, her advisor, a kindly, proud, communist in her late sixties, lived in a cramped apartment overflowing with children's books at the intersection of Leninskii Prospekt and Krupskaia Street. She refused cash and gifts (but not a present for her grandson): she simply wanted an American to understand early Soviet children's literature and how it differed from what she termed the "mindless, purposeless junk" in the kiosks these days.
Trying to make sense of matters in a transitory time was challenging. There were moments when I cursed Americanists, convinced that Russianists should somehow receive "different" Ph.D.s. Reading rooms closed, opened, and then closed again. In the archives, researchers and archivists lament material shortages and the overall state of affairs. Even without being paid, archivists and librarians remain committed to their work. Despite all the problems associated with ongoing social and economic instability, scholarship continues. Important, original research is being done. Foreign scholars are making use of the richness of the archives. I obtained the materials I sought, discovered some new ones, and accomplished all of the goals I set for this stage of my dissertation research. The social and research environment is far from ideal but, perhaps, in chaos there is opportunity.
Jacqueline M. Olich
Ph.D. Candidate, History Department
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Congratulations to the following students who received degrees from UNC in December 1996:
Kathleen Ahern, Ph.D. in Russian Literature. Dissertation title: "Osip Mandelstam's Posthumous Literature Career to 1991," dissertation director Madeline G. Levine.
Collin Jay Schnell, MA in Slavic Linguistics. Thesis title: "Gone but not Forgotten: The u-stem desinence -ovi, -evi in Ukrainian," thesis director Laura A. Janda.
Michael Wilson, MA in Slavic Linguistics. Thesis title: "Time for conjunctions: Bulgarian kato, kogato, koga, stom, and their Russian Counterparts," thesis director Robert D. Greenberg.
George Kosinski, BA in Slavic Languages and Literatures.
Catherine Petrusz, BA with honors in Russian and East European Studies. Honors thesis title: "The Nation-State Ideal: Ethnic Politics in Post-Communist Slovakia and Romania," thesis director Eric Mlyn.
Jamie Smith, BA in Slavic Languages and Literatures.
The highly-acclaimed Romanian artists, Dan and Lia Perjovschi, will give a lecture at the Duke University Museum of Art on Thursday, January 23, at 6:30 p.m. in conjunction with the opening of their exhibition at the Duke Institute of the Arts. The title of the exhibition is "Contemporary Art from Romania: Post Cards from America and Other Stories, Dan Perjovschi & Visual Archive of Survival, Lia Perjovschi." For more information, call 684-5135. In addition, both artists will do performances later in the semester (dates to be announced). Please contact Kristine Stiles (Duke, Art, 684-2467) if you want to schedule Lia and Dan to talk to your classes.
The next Piedmont Slavic Colloquium will be held on Tuesday, January 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the Breedlove Room, Perkins Library, Duke University. Speakers will be Stuart Bass (US Peace Corps - "City Planning and Consensus Building in the Czech Republic: A Peace Corps Experience") and Samuel Baron (History, UNC - "Bloody Saturday in the Soviet Union: Novocherkassk 1962"). The next Colloquium will be Tuesday, February 25 in the Conference Room at 223 E. Franklin St., UNC. Speakers to be announced. The final Slavic Colloquium for the 1996-97 academic year will be held March 25 at Duke.
Russian film-maker and writer Alexandra Sviridova will discuss and present her animated film One Doll's Story on Thursday, February 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Duke University Museum of Art. The film has been described as "one of the most engaging films" about the Holocaust. Admission $3, Friends and Students $2. For more information, call 684-5135.
The Center is sponsoring an all-day conference for sixth grade teachers on March 8, 1997 in Toy Lounge, Dey Hall, UNC. Titled "The Other Europe: Culture and Society in Eastern Europe and Russia", the conference will emphasize the traditions, foods, cultures, and crafts of Eastern European countries. For more information, please contact the Center.
Samuel H. Baron presented lectures in November 1996 at the Universities of California, San Diego and Colorado on "Plekhanov, Utopianism and the Collapse of the Soviet Union." He also spoke to Russian history classes on "Perspectives of Non-Development of Capitalism in Early Modern Russia" and "Perspectives on the Russian Revolution."
Robert D. Greenberg presented a paper on "Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian Language Policy in the Years Leading up to the Yugoslav Disintegration" at an International Sociolinguistics Conference in Moscow in October 1996. Dr. Greenberg was also elected by the Southeast European Studies Association, an affiliate of AAASS, to serve as its president.
Thomas Lahusen has published an article titled "Report from the Periphery: The Literary Harbin of the Russian Diaspora, and After" in Wiener Slawistischer Almanach 37 (1996): 99-107. In November 1996 he addressed the AAASS Convention on "Saying no to Romance? Soviet Readers Respond to their Author." He also presented a paper "On Roots and Rhizomes: The Private and the Public in Soviet Diaries of the 1930s" at the October 1996 Conference on "Private Life in Russia: Medieval Times to Present" at the University of Michigan.
Madeline Levine delivered a lecture on December 10, 1996 for the Department of Foreign Languages of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China, on the literary career of the 1996 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska.
The University of Virginia Russian Issues Series presents a conference on Russia's Future and American National Interests March 31 - April 2 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Designed for those interested in Russian politics, history and foreign relations, the conference will be led by experienced faculty from a variety of disciplines. For more information, contact John R. Redick at 1-800-346-3882, fax 804-982-5297, jrr3m@virginia.edu.
The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, is requesting papers for its 13th annual Graduate Student Symposium on Russian and East European Studies to be held April 4-5. Abstracts are due by February 1. Contact the Graduate Symposium Chairman, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22901, wah9j@virginia.edu, smn2m@virginia.edu, http://minerva.acc.virginia.edu/~crees/symposium/home.html.
American University in Moscow and the magazine Kontinent (France) are sponsoring a Second International Conference on Past, Present and Future of Russia on June 4-6 at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. The conference will bring together cultural and political figures from Russia and the West to analyze the current situation in Russia and the future of democratic reforms. For more information, contact Edward Lozansky, American University in Moscow, 1800 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009, tel. 202-986-6010, fax 202-667-4244, lozansky@aol.com.
The University of Illinois Summer Research Laboratory on Russia and Eastern Europe, June 16 - August 8, provides the opportunity for scholars and dissertation-stage graduate students to use the resources of the University's Slavic and East European Library. For information, contact the University of Illinois, Russian and East European Center, 104 International Studies Building, 910 S. Fifth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, tel. 217-333-1244, fax 217-333-1582, reec@uiuc.edu.
The Monterey Institute of International Studies, specializing in language instruction, sponsors intensive summer language study for all levels of Russian. The nine-week program runs June 17 - August 20 and offers small classes, intensive instruction and cultural enrichment. Application deadline is June 1. For more information, contact the Summer Session Office, 425 Van Buren Street, Monterey, CA 93940, tel. 408-647-4115, http://www.miis.edu.
Beloit College is offering intensive 9-week summer language programs in Russian, Czech and Hungarian for all levels of study. Application deadline is March 1. For more information, contact Terance Bigalke, Center for Language Studies, Beloit College, 700 College Street, Beloit, WI 53511, tel. 608-363-2269, fax 608-363-2689, cls@beloit.edu, http://beloit.edu/~cls. Join the University of Pittsburgh for Summer Study in Serbia at Belgrade University. This five-week program introduces students to Serbian culture, life, politics and economics. Knowledge of Serbian is not required. Program fee includes university credit and scholarships may be available. Application deadline is May 1. For more information, contact Juliet Jacobson, Outreach Coordinator, Center for Russian and East European Studies, University of Pittsburgh, 4G-17 Forbes Quad, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, tel. 412-648-7418, fax: 412-648-2199, juliet+@pitt.edu.
Northwestern University is sponsoring a summer study program in Prague, Czech Republic. Classes cover Czech politics, culture and language and carry credit. The six-week program (June 28-August 22) is limited to 25 students. Application deadline is April 1. For more information, contact Northwestern University Summer Session, 2115 North Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, tel. 1-800-FINDSNU, fax 847-491-3660, summer@nwu.edu, http://www.nwu.edu/summernu.
American Council of Learned Societies offers grants for research and training in the social sciences and humanities relating to East European countries. Deadline is January 31. Please contact ACLS, Office of Scholarships and Grants, 228 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017, grants@acls.org, http://www.acls.org.
Central European University is accepting applications for admission to its graduate programs in Budapest, Hungary and Warsaw, Poland. Some scholarships are available. Application deadline is February 1. For more information, contact CEU Admissions Office, Nador u. 9, 1051 Budapest, Hungary, tel. 36-1-327-3009, fax 36-1-327-3211, admissions@ceu.hu, info@ceu.hu, http://www.ceu.hu. CEU also offers summer classes in a wide variety of areas. Contact CEU-HESP Summer University as above, summeru@ceu.hu, ballag@osi.hu.
The National Council for Soviet and East European Research is seeking proposals for contracts and grants in amounts up to $70,000 for postdoctoral research. Applications are due by February 14. For more information, contact the National Council at Suite 304, 1755 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036-2188, tel. 202-387-0168, fax 202-387-1608, http://pw2.netcom.com/~ncseer/main.html.
ACTR/ACCELS, a private, non-profit, educational and exchange organization, offers services and programs to students and scholars of Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia, including language/culture programs and visa and other support for research trips. For additional information, contact Russian-Eurasian Programs, 1776 Massachusetts Ave, NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036, tel. 202-833-7522, fax 833-7523, stephens@actr.org, http://www.actr.org.
A Conference on Harbin: A Cultural and Economic Center in North-East Asia is planned for the summer of 1998 in the cities of Harbin, North East China, and Khabarovsk, Russia. It will bring together specialists from the USA, Russia and China, and focus on the international, multi-ethnic nature of Harbin in the early twentieth century and problems of post-colonialism. For more information, contact Thomas Lahusen, Duke University Slavic Department, Box 90259, Durham, NC 27708, tel. 660-3144, fax 660-3141, lahusen@acpub.duke.edu.
Teaching opportunities in a variety of Eastern European and former Soviet Union countries are available through the Civic Education Project, in association with Yale University and Central European University. Contact info@cep.yale.edu or applic@cep.yale.edu, http://www.cep.yale.edu for information.
International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) 1997-1998 grant information for US scholars is now available on the web (http://www.irex.org/scholar.htm). Applications can be downloaded and printed from the site. The list of opportunities is also available in hard copy by writing irex@irex.org.
Be a Summer Camp Counselor in Russia. Spend 4-8 weeks volunteering at youth camps across Russia, learning Russian language and culture and teaching Russian youth about America. For more information contact Camp Counselors USA at 1-800-999-2267.
A Guide to Internship Resources for students in Post-Soviet and East European Studies is currently being compiled and should be available on the Web by the end of January. Check out http://units.ox.ac.uk/departments/slavonic.
The UNC University Center for International Studies has published a resource guide to Funding Opportunities for International and Cross-Cultural Research for graduate students. This guide is available for use at UCIS, 223 E. Franklin St.
More information on any of the above opportunities can also be obtained at the UNC-CH Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies, 223 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill.
UNC at Chapel Hill Center
223 E. Franklin St. CB#5125
UNC Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5125
tel.: (919) 962-0901
fax: (919) 962-2494
e-mail: slavic@email.unc.edu
Duke University Center
302 Languages, Box 90260
Durham, NC 27708-0260
tel.: (919) 660-3157
fax: (919) 660-3188
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Institutions. This publication was produced without the use of State Funds.
inflections is a quarterly publication of the Joint Duke-UNC Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European studies. Editor: Laura A. Janda; Associate Editor: Nicolae Harsanyi; Managing Editor: Sharon Kowalsky.