Teaching Russian studies in the wake of the war in Ukraine

Abstract

ABSTRACT Russia’s war on Ukraine has cast a pall on Russian studies. At North American universities and colleges, faculty have conducted forums to help students understand how this senseless war came about. Enrolment in Russian language courses is down, while interest in Polish and Ukrainian is on the rise. Russian literature and cultural history are imbued with an imperial and colonial tradition that the author seeks to decolonize in his teaching. Aleksandr Pushkin was in favour of conquering the Caucasus, while Nikolai Gogol′, a colonial outsider, negotiated his place in the empire. Russian and Western histories pay little attention to Ukraine, and that needs correction. Kyivan Rus needs to be treated as a state in its own right. Reconciliation between Russia and Ukraine will have to be based on Russia’s recognition of Ukraine as a separate and independent state. Russian studies need to be decolonized, and, following Canada’s lead, US institutions should develop Ukrainian studies.