How to teach Russian history while the war in Ukraine is raging? And Russian literature? Vladimir Putin’s diet? In Quebec universities, professors are reviewing the content of their courses. Some are even considering removing the word “Russian” from the name of their program.
Posted at 7:30 p.m.
“I think the teaching of Russian politics, history and literature will change to some extent after this war,” says Maria Popova, associate professor of political science at McGill University.
No, this is not about burning books or banning Russian authors. As explained by M.me Popova, the war in Ukraine is an opportunity to “decolonize the study of Russia”.
First, and this is one of the most significant changes, professors from the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at McGill want to remove the mention “Russian” from the “Russian and Slavic Studies” program.
In recent years, Slavic studies — which covers Central and Eastern Europe — has taken a back seat, says undergraduate program director Daniel Pratt Webster.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Daniel Pratt Webster, Russian and Slavic Studies Undergraduate Program Director
At the turn of the XXIe century, interest and funding for Slavic studies declined, to the benefit of the Middle East and China, which were then gaining in popularity. “We ended up focusing more and more on Russia,” he says.
However, the Russian propaganda machine, which has been running at full speed since the war, reminds us of the need to situate Russia “in a broader context”, which includes Ukraine, Poland and even the Czech Republic.
“When Putin makes his case for a Russian world, he focuses on a narrative of cultural history. We want to show that this is not quite the real story, that there is more to Russia than just one ethnicity,” Mr. Webster stresses.
More minority voices
We do not teach the history of France without talking about its imperial regime, underlines Maria Popova. Since the war, she has predicted that the same will happen to the Soviet Empire.
“There will be more attention to the fact that Russia was an empire, and that by being the dominant force within the Soviet Union, it continued to be an empire”, explains the specialist in post-communist Europe .
For that, it takes witnesses from the past, says Kristy Ironside. Historical documents that would allow him to teach the story told from the point of view of the colonized peoples.
The problem is that translated versions of these documents are rare. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, in all its tragedy, may therefore have something good.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Kirsty Ironside, specialist in modern Russia at McGill University
There has been a greater recognition that we need more views from these minorities, we need these voices in our teaching spheres.
Kristy Ironside, specialist in modern Russia at McGill University
“I think there will be more publications. I know there are projects underway to try to translate more Central Asian sources,” says the Modern Russia specialist.
These documents also protect us from the trap of rewriting history according to the spirit of the times. “People had a different understanding of their national identity, their language in the past. That’s why I think it’s really important to have these documents,” says Ms.me Ironside.
A resurgence in popularity?
Will Russian (or Slavic) studies become more popular with students with the invasion of Ukraine? Hard to say at the moment.
The University of Quebec at Montreal isn’t seeing a rush of students, but McGill professor Kristy Ironside is noticing a surge in enrollment in her introductory Russian history course. At Laval University, political science professor Aurélie Campana, who teaches post-Soviet Russia, expects a livelier session next fall.
It is clear that this will give rise to debates that I will describe as passionate and fascinating. Our role, as teachers, is going to be to let the students express themselves, but to put things in perspective.
Aurélie Campana, professor at Laval University
In the long term, Professor Daniel Pratt Webster hopes that the war in Ukraine will spark a new impetus for Slavic studies. But universities move slowly, and before the money follows, the interest has to be there for more than a year or two.
“Already, I see that some universities are making a strong commitment to diversifying their Slavic studies, and that’s great. »