Recent Trends In the Historiography of Soviet Russia since 2004 - Research Paper Example

This led to the acceptance of the more extensive anti-soviet traditional western account by a majority of the Russian scholars2. Andrei Sakharov indicates that, currently, the russian historical science is vibrant, dynamic and discussive, and is closely associated with global historiography3. These claims seem to be echoed by Kritika in whose pages several informative articles that have, in the recent past, been published to map the evolving ideological constellation of russian histological publications.

Mironov argues that, the wall between historical research done in the cities and that done in provinces is diminishing, and so is the wall between Western and Russian historiograhy. Consequently, a community of Russianists is coming into being. In a brief review of the demographics and communication pathway of these lines of thought, Benedict Anderson writes extensively of the school “pilgrimages,” which encompass the pathways in education that were pursued by “natives” and “creoles” during the colonial period that gave rise to the notion of a nation in sites4.

It is arguable that Russia has become a colony of the west. However, this is optimised by Minorov’s assertion of a progressively more integrated community. In terms of demographics, there are some advancements in the Russian information systems. However, in the post –Soviet era, the prone networks including the science academies and their branches have been eroded and remained only shells. A majority, in the academies, have taken refuge in tertiary institutions, in which they partake in multiple teaching workloads, as a means of survival.

Many individuals, in the academic world, are too busy with multi-tasking thus cannot find time to write academic materials. It is evident that many academic institutions are staffed with scientists of a retiring age. Moreover, not many young people find jobs in the academic field to be alluring. Consequently, many scientists are reported to be leaving for better jobs abroad. Another crucial topic is the mode of teaching of history in learning institutions. A critical examination indicates that a social history can have a significant effect, basing on its approach and debates as presented to the lay community, in schools through textbooks and may corrupt the public memory5.

Catherine Marridale notes a significant lack of interest for historological studies, majorly among the younger generation and continual widening of the gap between lay and scholarly lines of specialization. She, at the same time, argues on the persistence of a discursive field in which Russian tropes maintain dominance. For schools and textbooks, during the perestroika era, there was a great interest in history. This is accompanied by a sharp decline, as people are immersed in a struggle to survive and deal with the woes resulting from drastic impoverishment.

However, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasianov rekindled the public interest in 2001, on the mode of teaching of history, through his concern about the quality of the Russian history books6. As a result, the government indulged in a competition aimed at finding the top three text books to be used in schools. Consequently, the new standardized school