Why Bother? The Importance of Russian History on the Canadian Campus

Abstract

What is the state of Russian history on the Canadian campus today? This article addresses the question by discussing the subject’s challenges in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse. Much as in the United States, the Cold War made it de rigueur to “know the enemy,” but since the “evil empire’s” collapse over 20 years ago, the field has appeared to be less important to academic administrators. Nevertheless, no serious history department in Canada can claim to be comprehensive without counting in its midst at least one Russianist.