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Semester 2

Transnational Russian Culture (ELCR08010)

Subject

European Languages and Cultures - Russian Studies

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

2

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Course Summary

The course remaps Russian culture as a global phenomenon. It problematises the metropolitan notion of Russian culture by examining cultural production, by Russian authors in the Russian language or in other languages, in the contexts of the empire, outward migration, globalization, and linguistic and cross-cultural penetration. We will focus on three historical periods and study: the Russian Empire of the 18-19th centuries, the Russian émigré culture which emerged following the Bolshevik Revolution, and the post-Soviet transnational cultural production.

Course Description

Traditionally, Russian culture was understood as geographically bound, produced in Russia in the Russian language. Taking a non-metropolitan perspective, one that takes account of the periods of strong cultural contacts (the Russian imperial past, the major waves of outward political migration in the 20th century and the current era of globalisation and mobility) allows us to explore the Russian and/or Russian-speaking cultural production in its geographical fluidity and intercultural connections. In the current period, locations of Russian cultural production are manifold, springing up all over the globe and producing new forms of circulation among dispersed audiences and markets. Indeed, transnational Russian culture has been extremely rich, having produced four Nobel prize winners for literature out of the six Russian speaking writers awarded the prize overall. The course will address the notions of cultural transnationalism, globalisation and trans-linguistic and inter-cultural dialogue, focusing on several case studies of the Russian cultural periphery. The course will move from the Francophonie in the 18-19th century Russian aristocratic culture and the writing on the Imperial edge to Russian émigré writing of the Soviet period and the post-Soviet global expansion of Russian culture. Using Russian cultural production as core material for discussion, the course will address the following questions: What are the centre and the periphery of culture? What are the relations, differences and similarities between national, transnational and exterritorial cultures? Where is culture properly located? What is a hyphenated and hybrid culture? What are the institutions and organisations of diasporic cultural production and exchange? The material of the course will include linguistic culture, selected works of literature and feature and documentary films. The course is taught in English and English translations of primary material are used although Russian Studies students are encouraged to read in Russian.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

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