Dostoevsky Studies in North America

Abstract

This article describes the major trends and events in Dostoevsky studies in North America in the past five years. It begins by providing an overview of notable scholarship in the last five years as well as forthcoming: these include works informed by a philosophical perspective, those which deal with narrative form, and those rooted in contemporary discourse, as well as new computational methods. It also discusses works which are aimed at students, teachers, and general readers of Dostoevsky. The article then goes on to provide a discussion of the history and organization of the North American Dostoevsky Society and the public outreach events and scholarly activities that it organizes, including its popular blog, Bloggers Karamazov. It also provides a summary of the transnational online program organized by the Society and other organizations for the 2021 Dostoevsky bicentenary, which include a lecture series and a birthday party. Finally, the article touches on global connections enabled by new technology and the future of Dostoevsky studies in North America, in particular the website of the International Dostoevsky Society and the online transfer and update of the Society’s bibliography into a research portal hosted on that website.