National Identity in Russian Culture: An Introduction

National Identity in Russian Culture: An Introduction

by SimonFranklin (Editor), EmmaWiddis (Editor)

Synopsis

What is Russia? Who are Russians? What is 'Russianness'? The question of national identity has long been a vexed one in Russia, and is particularly pertinent in the post-Soviet period. For a thousand years these questions have been central to the work of Russian writers, artists, musicians, film-makers, critics, politicians and philosophers. Questions of national self-identity permeate Russian cultural self-expression. This wide-ranging study, designed for students of Russian literature, culture, and history, explores aspects of national identity in Russian culture from medieval times to the present day. Written by an international team of scholars, the volume offers an accessible overview and a broad, multi-faceted introductory account of this central feature of Russian cultural history. The book is comprehensive and concise; it combines general surveys with a wide range of specific examples to convey the rich texture of Russian cultural expression over the past thousand years.

$39.92

Quantity

10 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 260
Edition: 1st Pbk. Version
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 02 Feb 2006

ISBN 10: 0521024293
ISBN 13: 9780521024297
Book Overview: This study explores aspects of national identity in Russian culture from medieval times to the present day.

Media Reviews
'Such is the structure of this work, which would certainly make ideal reading for all students at or beyond the undergraduate level .' MLR
'...Franklin and Widdis have offered an interesting and thorough narrative of identity in Russian culture.' The Slavonic and East European Review
The title of this collection of 11 essays captures well its purpose, which is to offer 'an introduction to cultural discourses of Russian national identity.' W.G. Moss, Eastern Michigan University, CHOICE
The editors present an extremely useful collection of essays on many aspects of our perceptions of Russia , Russian , Russians and Russianness . This book is extremely clearly structured, something which helps considerably given the immensity of the task and the ever-increasing range of the bibliography. As such, it is suitable for a wide readership, particularly students. Forum for Modern Language Studies
Simon Franklin and Emma Widdis have conceived this excellent book to accomplish two goals: to provide and accessible overview of the theme of national identity in Russian cultural history and to offer nuanced case studies of how notions of national identity function in cultural practice (xii). Carol J. Avins, Rutgers University, Slavic Review
Author Bio
Simon Frankin is Reader in Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of The Emergence of Rus 750-1200 (with Jonathan Shepard, 1996). Emma Widdis is Lecturer in Russian at the University of Cambridge. She is the author of Visions of a New Land: Soviet Film from the Revolution to the Second World War (2003).