The Study of the History of US-Russia Relations in the 21st Century on Both Sides of the Atlantic: Research Approaches and Methods

Abstract

The article is devoted to the contemporary trends in studying the history of Russian-American relations from the 18th century until today. The author focuses her attention on the key books within this scholarly field as well as on a variety of genres and methodological frames represented in the U.S. and Russian historiographies in the 21st century. She also discusses prospects in studying and teaching the historical past of the bilateral relations in correlation with the different methods of engaging in dialogue with it. The author argues that in modern historical scholarship, these forms of dialogue along with new primary sources create a new kind of knowledge. It is author’s belief that American scholars made greater progress than their Russian counterparts in tackling the multiplicity of questions addressed to the past of bilateral relations, even though Russian researches did produce individual innovative works and can boast general achievements. This is why it is so important for the two countries’ scholars to continue the exchange of ideas and to keep on working on joint projects and collective monographs that could summarize the achievements of national historiographic schools found both in books and in articles and outline the prospects of further studies. This article can and should be seen as an invitation to such a dialogue.