Russian Nationalism: Literature and Ideas

Russia is huge and linguistically and religiously diverse. Yet the ideology of nationalism --the idea that culturally unified groups should rule their own territories-- took root in Russia in the early 19th century and is powerful today. What made this happen? Political thinkers, writers, and other artists have argued for the superiority of the Russian nation. Meanwhile, the tsarist, Soviet, and post-Soviet governments have worked to reconcile the ideology of nationalism with the realities of the administration of a diverse state. This course examines the roots of nationalism itself and the paradox of Russian nationalism, looking at literary and political writers including Dostoevsky, Stalin, and Solzhenitsyn.