Winning and Losing the Great Game: Literature, Art, and Diplomacy between Russia and Iran

An understanding of the historical relations between Iran, Georgia, Armenia and Russia is crucial for appreciating and navigating current political and cultural challenges in the region. The Russo-Persian Workshop will be devoted to looking closely at the relationship between imperial powers at their peak (1820s-1830s), some details of which still remain to be unearthed in archives across the region. Exploring the Russo-Persian relationship through cultural and artistic artifacts will shed light on diplomatic and cultural relations between two vital participants in the so-called "Great Game," Russia and Iran, and will contribute to an understanding of the region today.Ohio State UniversityMershon Center for International Security StudiesDepartment of Slavic and East European Languages and CulturesCenter for Slavic, East European and Eurasian StudiesDepartment of HistoryDepartment of Near Eastern Languages and CulturesDepartment of the History of ArtEvent Web pag

Russian Women: Living in History’s Shadow

From the Essay: There has never been one “woman question” in Russia, but rather many. During an extended stay in St. Petersburg in the summer of 1999, we attended a conference on women’s issues and interviewed a number of women from all over Russia, trying to ascertain for ourselves the state of the “woman question” in post-Soviet Russia. In our conversations with women, it became clear that as some test the new economic and political waters, as others see their future in the traditions of the Orthodox church, and still others feel ill-positioned to succeed in the new Russia, the historical legacy of life under the Soviet system may prove the most difficult challenge for Russian women to overcome. Our discussions did not provide an answer, but we hope that what we learned can add some complexity and nuance to how the question is asked

Chapaev and His Comrades

"Across the twentieth century war was the central experience of the Russian people, spurring tales of the struggles and advances of the combat hero to become a prevailing Russian literary trope. In this wide spanning text Brintlinger traces the war experiences, memories, tropes, and metaphors in literature of the Soviet and post-Soviet period, examining the work of Dmitry Furmanov, Fyodor Gladkov, Alexander Tvardovsky, Emmanuil Kazakevich, Vera Panova, Viktor Nekrasov, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Vladimir Voinovich, Sergei Dovlatov, Vladimir Makanin, Viktor Astafiev, Viktor Pelevin, and Vasily Aksyonov. These authors represented official Soviet literature and underground or dissident literature. They fell into and out of favor, were exiled and returned to Russia, and died at home and abroad. Most importantly, each of these writers was touched by war and reacted to the state of war in their literary works.

Chapaev and His Comrades

"Across the twentieth century war was the central experience of the Russian people, spurring tales of the struggles and advances of the combat hero to become a prevailing Russian literary trope. In this wide spanning text Brintlinger traces the war experiences, memories, tropes, and metaphors in literature of the Soviet and post-Soviet period, examining the work of Dmitry Furmanov, Fyodor Gladkov, Alexander Tvardovsky, Emmanuil Kazakevich, Vera Panova, Viktor Nekrasov, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Vladimir Voinovich, Sergei Dovlatov, Vladimir Makanin, Viktor Astafiev, Viktor Pelevin, and Vasily Aksyonov. These authors represented official Soviet literature and underground or dissident literature. They fell into and out of favor, were exiled and returned to Russia, and died at home and abroad. Most importantly, each of these writers was touched by war and reacted to the state of war in their literary works.

The Sarmatian Review, Vol. 18, No. 3

Contents: "SR INDEX"; Roumiana Deltcheva, "The Difficult Topos In-Between: the East Central European Culural Context as a Post-Coloniality"; Alex Kurczaba, "East Central Europe and Multiculturalism in the American Academy; Colin Cleary, "Poems."; Krzysztof Koehler, "Poems, tr. by W. Martin"; "BOOKS"; John Radzilowski, "General Anders and theSoldiers of the Second Polish Corps (review)"; Jan Twardowski, "Princess (a poem)"; K.K.Baczyński, "Where to? (a poem) Tr. by Alex Kurczaba"; "SR Translation of Documents Series"; Angela Brintlinger and Krzysztof Koehler, "Syllabi of Central and Eastern European courses"; "ANNOUNCEMENTS and NOTES"; "About the Authors

The Russian Medical Humanities. Past, Present, and Future

For the first time in English, The Russian Medical Humanities: Past and Present argues that the medical humanities is a vibrant and emerging field in Post-Soviet Russia. In a unique collaboration that brings together diverse experts from both Russia and America, this volume showcases the Russian medical humanities as an interdisciplinary project that combines insights from philosophy, bioethics, anthropology, history, and literature in order to provide more compassionate medical care to patients in the twenty-first century. The chapters in this volume explore past and present humanistic trends in Russian medical training, as well as examine how Russian authors and cultural figures, some physician-writers, some without professional background in medicine of any kind, have positioned healthy and ailing bodies in their creative work. This volume’s contributors, who range from literary scholars, educators, translators and poets to medical historians, librarians, museum curators, and social workers, provide empathetic insight into the experience of medical encounters which all cultures grapple with. Their work will prove useful not only to current and future health practitioners, but also to a broader audience of readers who are seeking to make compassionate and informed decisions about healthcare for their loved ones and for themselves