Anglo-American Historiography Research Articles

Evgenia Vladimirovna Gutnova as a Historiographer of the English Medieval Parliament: The Anglo-American Research Perspective

This article considers the Anglo-American historiography of the early English parliament based on the extensive contribution and heritage of Evgenia Vladimirovna Gutnova (1914–1992), an outstanding Soviet and Russian medievalist and historiographer. E.V. Gutnova was a pioneer and groundbreaker in the historical and historiographical study of the English state and medieval parliamentarism during the 13th–14th centuries. Through her work, she expanded the pool of historiographical sources available to the scientific world. This vast collection included the fundamental works on the English constitutional history of the Middle Ages published by major historians of England and the USA in the middle of the 19th–the first half of the 20th centuries. She performed a detailed analysis of their concepts of the English medieval parliament by comparison of the Whig-liberal (W. Stubbs) and “critical” (F.W. Maitland) models in line with the Marxist methodologies of history. Here, based on the historical-genetic and -comparative methods, along with historical analysis and synthesis, E.V. Gutnova’s role in the study of the early English parliamentarism within the Anglo-American historiography was defined. The conclusion is made that she developed and introduced an innovative historiographical concept, which has become a widely used algorithm for research in the field of foreign history of historical science, with the Anglo-American historiography of early parliamentarism in England as its integral part.

Проблемы управления Сибирью в XIX - начале XX В. В освещении англо- и немецкоязычной историографии

The paper objective is to analyze and evaluate the research findings obtained by the English- and German-language scholars who studied the administrative system of Siberia in the 19th - early 20th century, when the regionalist policy of the Russian Empire was gradually replaced by a more rigid centralism, standardization and unification. Anglo-American and German historians using the conception of “Russian eastward expansion” (E.M. Hicks), theories of “frontier” and “colonization” (A. Kappeler, W. Sunderland, S. Becker et al.) analyzed a wide range of problems associated with the administration of pre-revolutionary Siberia. Comparing “instruments of expansion” and “colonial practices” of the Russian empire with the historical experience of other countries, Western authors critically evaluated the results of “civilizing” mission of Russia in Northern Asia, emphasizing in particular negative aspects of aboriginal and penal policy. However, most of researchers the administrative system created in Siberia provided a rather successful integration of the region in the imperial space. Political and socioeconomic factors influencing Siberia's administrative system were studied primarily in Anglo-American historiography (M. Raeff, T. Armstrong) while sociocultural factors - in German historiography (C. Weiss, S. Frank et al.). Western authors paid special attention to analysis of reasons, essence and outcomes of the 1822 Siberian reform introduced by M.M. Speransky which, in their view, largely determined the region's development till the end of the imperial period.

ФИНЛЯНДИЗАЦИЯ КАК КОНЦЕПЦИЯ НАУЧНОГО ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ ВНЕШНЕЙ ПОЛИТИКИ И МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЙ

The article is aimed at studying the main stages in the formation of the scientific concept of finlandization on the example of German studies of Anglo-American historiography, at determining its essential characteristics and the possibilities of using it in the modern research of foreign policy and international relations. The choice of the German case seems logical. The special role of the German issue in the system of Great Powers relations, its obvious dependence on the microclimate of the Soviet-American relations, the close proximity of West Germany to the borders of the socialist bloc, the painful problem of the German nation division – all this has significantly increased the risks of Soviet influence and theoretically turned the FRG into the most likely candidate for finlandization. Given the key importance of West Germany in the system of Euro-Atlantic security and economy, this prospect was perceived very painfully, the possible reorientation of the FRG was actively discussed in the academic circles in the USA and Great Britain. The formation of finlandization as a concept for the scientific study of foreign policy and international relations had basically been completed by the beginning of the 1990s. Today, it finds many followers and critics among scientists from different countries, which indicates its modern relevance.

Современная англо-американская историография правления Петра I

The Anglo-American historiography of the reign of Peter I in the modern period is investigated. The assessments of British and American historians of Peter’s domestic and foreign policy, the results of his transformations, and the role of the emperor in Russian history are given. The majority of the largest studies on the history of Russia in the reign of Peter I, published from 1990 to the present, are considered. The analysis of the main provisions and theses of these works allowed us to identify the characteristic features of the consideration of the image of Peter the Great in modern Anglo-American historiography, the most popular topics that attract the attention of historians, as well as their assessment of the reign of the Russian emperor. The conclusion is made about the presence of anti-Russian political discourse in most studies of the present period of historiography.

The Imperial mentality of Russia and Anglo-American research in Russian Studies of the 1980s and 2000s

This article is dedicated to the reflection of the topic of the Russian imperial spirit and its manifestations in the Anglo-American historiography of 1970 – 2000. The article relies on the works of the representatives of American Russian studies, from its major figures (Z. Brzeziński and R. Pipes) to modern representatives (A. Grigas). The author reviews the key positions of American researchers of Russia on the general characteristic of the imperial mentality that are inherent to the Russian people and determine their political and life behavior. Reference to the manifestations of the imperial spirit and its analysis in the modern period is important, as it allows seeing the history of Russia from an outside perspective, as well as carrying out a political-sociological and historical-chronological analysis to avoid similar mistakes in the future. The main conclusions are based on the works of Anglo-American Russian studies, which indicate that the study of imperial mentality, traditions, life and political behavior of Russia remains popular in the Western sector of Russian studies. On the one hand, it continues the tradition of American Soviet studies, while on other – separates from it and delves into the local and culturological research. However, the politological component retains its positions, and searches for the new topics and approaches. The author believes that these two trends would continue to be viewed in parallel in the Anglo-American Russian studies for a long time.

ТЕОРЕТИКО-МЕТОДОЛОГІЧНІ ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ СУЧАСНОЇ ПОПУЛЯРНОЇ КУЛЬТУРИ

The article deals with the problem of modern understanding the phenomenon of «popular culture». At the same time, classical approaches to the consideration of the complex of issues of «popular culture» without losing their relevance are needed reinterpretation of concepts and theoretical models to understand the key-elements of the content and understanding of new realities. Popular culture can be characterized as an extremely dynamic phenomenon that continues to take new forms, changing its nature. Author defines its essence as the presentation of a set of content available for understanding by the vast majority of people, regardless of social background, financial status and education. Modern popular culture is characterized by a pronounced syncretic nature. It is emphasized that today there is no universal approach to understanding the term «popular culture». Some countries have their own internal models of representation, due to the peculiarities of national scientific schools. In the concepts of information society development, one of the most relevant areas for the humanities research remains the dichotomy of «human» and «mechanical». The formation of concepts of popular culture is assigned to commercial institutions of highly developed countries, which is associated with the new role of information and communication opportunities. Attention is drawn to an important feature of the representation of the term in Anglo-American historiography, namely the fundamental difference in the understanding of the terms popular culture for the period of the late XVIII – mid XX centuries and for the second half of the twentieth century when the «ethnological» component is leveled and there is a gradual identification of the terms «popular culture» with «mass culture». Instead, the term «folk culture» is used in the Ukrainian scientific tradition, which at the present stage may have intersections, but is completely incomparable with the term «popular culture».

German Question, 1945–1990, in Anglo-American Historiography: Key Aspects of the Problem Study

Understanding and, after the unification of Germany in 1990, rethinking the process of evolution of the German Question, in particular its main components, is an important scholarly task. The origins of the modern power of Germany, its desire to establish itself as a world power, were formed in 1945–1990 with the active participation of the United States and Great Britain. Therefore, the assessment of the development of the German Question by researchers from these countries is important for its understanding. The study of the problem contributes to a comprehensive analysis of the post-war international policy of Great Britain and the United States as well as their modern relations with the FRG. Special attention to the German Question in the publications of the United Kingdom and the United States was shown at the stages of its qualitative transformation: the creation of the FRG, its rearmament, the implementation of a new Eastern policy, as well as the unification of Germany. Each of these events required a prompt response from the academic and expert community and the development of a balanced model of foreign policy response. Anglo-American historiography of the German question has not previously been the object of a special study by Russian historians. The purpose of this article is to analyze the main aspects of the German problem study in the works of British and American researchers. The article identifies four key aspects of the German question, around which the study of the problem in Great Britain and the United States was concentrated. The historiographic core consists of the works devoted to the issues of denazification, West Germany rearmament, Ostpolitik, as well as the unification of Germany and its consequences. Each aspect study was of particular importance and relevance for determining the further foreign policy strategy of the Western countries in Europe, mainly in relation to the FRG and USSR. Changes in approaches to evaluation of the aspects during the post-war period are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to identifying and studying stable geopolitical models that accompanied the perception of the German question by academic and expert communities of Great Britain and the United States: the concepts of “Finlandization” and “Mitteleuropa”, as well as the “Rapallo complex”.

Soviet Women in the Years of the “Khrushchev’s Thaw” in English Language Publications

The article assesses the results of studies of everyday lives of Soviet women in the 1950s–1960s in Anglo-American historiography, in which a problematic field has developed with its own boundaries, plots and search tasks, and a well-established range of sources. The peculiarity of Western scholars’ views of this issue were of considerable importance for biographical interviews, the stories of women who remember that time. (In contrast to Russian historiography, foreign scholars used an anthropological approach to study women’s history much earlier.) The authors define more clearly the successes of foreign scholars in the study of Soviet women’s history in the 1960s, as well as controversial assessments and prospects. Considered chronologically and sequentially, the assessments of Soviet life in the publications of English-speaking scholars revealed their strong dependence on the American model of everyday life for the corresponding period. The consumption system and social protection of the population, which grew sharply after the Second World War in Western countries, became the ideal that guided these scholars during the entire second half of the twentieth century. In such a comparison, Soviet women’s lives in conditions of constant deficits of goods and services, as well as other problems and shortcomings of the Soviet economic model, always seemed to be a losing battle. In the 2000s, this ideal model of American everyday life, with which scholars did not directly compare women’s everyday lives in the USSR, but which between the lines manifested itself as a standard, turned out to be somewhat squeezed by the desire to positively evaluate the achievements of Soviet social policy and the gains that it provided for women.

Using the alternative history method in the study of World War II

The article discusses the scientific experience of using the „alternative history” method in the study of the history of the Second World War. The authors revealed the peculiarities of the methodology for applying this method in world historical science until the middle of the twentieth century, showed its research capabilities and shortcomings. The features of the use of the method of alternative history in the modern historiography of the Second World War are revealed. The purpose of this article is to compare the main methodological approaches to the application of the method of „alternative history” in the historiography of World War II, to determine the degree of their appropriateness and correctness. To achieve this goal, the following tasks are set: to consider the genesis of the method of „alternative history”, to establish and reveal its key provisions, the algorithm of use, application and features of use in British and Russian historiography. At the present stage, the method of alternative history makes it possible to significantly expand the cognitive possibilities in the study of the history of the Second World War. Its use was pioneered by representatives of Anglo-American historiography. In the post-Soviet space, this method was established much later.

Landscape in space and landscape space (Anglo-American historiography)

The subject of this research is analysis of the problem of interaction between cultural landscape and space in the Anglo-American literature. Special attention is given to examination of concepts that interpret space as encompassing both, physical and symbolic components, which create the concepts of space as the network of relations. Particular interest of researchers towards determination of interconnection between the communities, their habitats and weakening of these interconnection in the process of globalization. Analyzing the problem of the “sense of place”, the author refers to the concept of design of space. Characteristics is given to different positions on the question of correlation of landscape and space. The authors highlight actively developing phenomenological approach towards studying cultural landscape. Since the metaphor of palimpsest is crucial in disclosure of the essence of landscape, consideration of space as a multilayered phenomenon that incorporates past and current functions, ideologies and physical contexts as an intertext, is demonstrated. The conclusion is made that one of the most promising trends is the understanding of landscape space as relational, when the landscape is viewed as a product of practice, trajectory and interconnection. Relational representations on the constantly changing world to a significant extent are formed by the actor-network theory, the “theory of becoming” or “new vitalism”, and hybrid geography. The actor-network theory is intended for overcoming the perceptions of world as comprised of discrete and limited objects, and suggest seeing the world comprised of networks. Each object or person can be interpreted as the cumulative result of network relations, and the sense of individuality and will is merely a relational effect.

영미 의료사의 연구 동향: 1990-2019

영미 의료사의 연구 동향: 1990-2019

The Main Trends of Anglo-American Historiography on the Decembrist Movement

The Main Trends of Anglo-American Historiography on the Decembrist Movement

Англо-Американская историографии о колониальной стратегии Великобритании в межвоенный период

Англо-Американская историографии о колониальной стратегии Великобритании в межвоенный период

RATIONALISTIC DIRECTION IN ANGLO-AMERICAN HISTORIOGRAPHY: BASIC APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF GERMAN QUESTION IN POSTWAR DECADE

This article establishes the prerequisites and conditions for the formation of the rationalistic approach in Anglo-American historiography in the postwar period. The main aspects of the German problem, which became the subject of research in Anglo-American historiography, are identified, and the characteristic features and patterns of analysis of the the German problem in the works of rationalist historians are revealed. The aim of this article is to present a comprehensive analysis of the approaches of British and American rationalist historians to the study of the German question in the postwar decade. The research methodology includes principles of historicism and objectivity, as well as retrospective, geopolitical and axiological approaches. In conducting the study, logical (analysis and synthesis of the material) and special historical (historical-genetic, historical-comparative, historical-systemic) research methods were used. The results and conclusions of this article can be used in further study of the main trends in the development of historical science in the UK and the USA in the postwar period, as well as in analyzing the German problem in the system of international relations in the second half of the twentieth century.

German Question in 1945–1949: Research of the Problem in Anglo-American Historiography

The article is devoted to the research of the main streams in Anglo-American historiography concerning German problem in 1945–1949. Two main directions in Anglo-American historical science are identified and characterized. Special attention is paid to the various approaches of historians to the reparation problem, pre-conditions of formation separate West German government, causes and consequences of the first Berlin crisis. In result differences in Great Powers’ German politics motives are defined, approaches to estimation of their responsibility for country division are stated, key stages of German question development in the period of 1945–1949 are analyzed.

Looking at Brazilian fashion studies: Fifty years of research and teaching

Abstract This article aims to examine academic output in Brazil in the field of clothing and fashion over the last 50 years with a focus on the humanities, especially history. Formerly an invisible or insignificant subject, fashion became a powerful key for researchers in Brazil to analyse social dynamics, hierarchies, class distinction, consumption and gender issues, among others. Currently in Brazil it is evident that a significant amount of fashion research is being conducted in both public and private universities. The expansion of undergraduate courses related to fashion, the organization of academic events focused on the object, the publishing of Master’s dissertations and Ph.D. theses, and the launch of academic journals on dress and fashion have contributed to this framework. The article also analyses the work of Sofia Jobim Magno de Carvalho, a high school teacher, illustrator, costume designer, journalist, feminist and collector who started teaching clothing in 1949. Sofia’s professional training and experience led her to favour the practices of creating, collecting and preserving, rather than engaging in theoretical, historical or aesthetic discussions. The article will conclude with an overview of recent Brazilian academic research around clothing and fashion. The aim is to analyse the reception and influence of French and Anglo-American historiography in Brazil and to identify under-investigated research areas around costume, fashion and appearance.

La maison individuelle au prisme de l’historiographie anglo-américaine : un contraste marqué entre le xxe et le xxi

Au cours des décennies 1970 et 1980, de nombreux travaux de sociologues et d’historiens anglo-américains ont pris la « maison individuelle » (entourée d’un jardin) comme objet d’étude pour la représenter comme vecteur central de l’urbanisation et de la suburbanisation de la société dès le xixème siècle. Ils ont souligné le rôle de l’État fédéral pour expliquer sa diffusion sur l’ensemble du territoire national et ont démontré combien ce « modèle » avait réussi à incarner l’American Way of Life. À présent de nombreuses interrogations portent sur l’avenir de la maison individuelle. Certains évoquent la métropolisation – le processus qui transforme ville et banlieues de manière à faire émerger un territoire polycentrique – et indiquent la quête des habitants pour de nouvelles formes d’urbanité. D’autres suggèrent d’interpréter la crise des subprime comme un « tournant » dans l’histoire de la maison individuelle au profit d’une valorisation d’un cadre de vie plus compact. Aussi l’article propose-t-il de mettre en scène les principaux arguments des chercheurs de la seconde moitié du xxème siècle et de souligner le sérieux contraste avec ceux des urbanistes de la dernière décennie. Il a pour objectif de questionner le rayonnement de la maison individuelle au xxième siècle.

Theories of social constructivism in Anglophone historical epistemology in 2000-2015

Social constructionism can be seen as a source of the postmodern movement, and has been influential in the field of cultural studies. The article is devoted to the analysis of the influence of social constructionism in modern Anglophone historiography and historical epistemology (2000-2015). The research results show the meaning and place of social and cultural constructivism in contemporary Anglo-American theoretical historical reflection. Nowadays constructivism is the theoretical framework for many quantitative researches in history. The authors have discussed constructivism and post-constructivism as “umbrella-approaches” and not as “fully-fledged theories” in modern Anglophone historiography. The presence of theoretical foundations of social constructivism in contemporary Anglophone historiography, its role and level of influence can be accurately described as a “critical inoculation constructivism”. To this day the theories of social constructivism perform many reflective and critical functions in cultural history and contemporary Anglo-American historiography. The ideas and postulates of social constructivism continue to play a prominent role in the “democratization” of modern socio-humanitarian knowledge, rethinking ethnicity, gender, socio-cultural identity. The theories of social constructivism are actively used in such historical projects and research directions as gender history, feminism history, sport history, the history of popular culture, media communications, and many others.

“Knowledge vendors” and “alms-askers”: studying scientific and political discourse in Anglo-American and Russian socio-humanities

This article analyzes the interaction and mutual influence of the discourse of science and the public authorities in modern Russian and Anglo-American socio-humanities. The aim of the article is to identify the methodological bases of the research on discourse of the public authorities and science in the modern Anglo-American historiography and assessment of their relevance to the analysis of modern Russian administrative and scientific discourse. The authors conducted the analysis of Russian scientific products and revealed a positivist, quantitative bias in the methodology of social sciences, which study scientific and authoritative discourse in modern Russian society. The authors attempted to reflect the diffusion of science and power discourse. By the example of modern Russian realities they illustrated the pattern of how the researches on political discourse and influence of the state order on scientific production are strongly committed to this discourse and cannot go beyond it. An objective study of the experience of Anglo-American Russian studies allows looking at Russian governmental and scientific discourse from the perspective of a new culture, a new empire and a new intellectual history.

Enlightening choices: a century of Anglophone canons of the geographical tradition

This paper attends to the politics and pedagogy of canon formation by looking at the ways in which a century of Anglo-American historiography since the formal consolidation of the discipline in the 1870s has constructed images of geography's history during the ‘long’ eighteenth century (c.1660–1832). It is contended that different images of geography in that era have been constructed to suit various imaginings of the nature of geography from Keltie's imperialist image at the start of the twentieth century through to David Livingstone's reworking of geography as an Enlightened science. As such, whilst a stable ‘canon’ of geographers such as Cook, Kant and Humboldt has been built, how the individuals who constitute it and their achievements are framed has mutated over time. The essay concludes by reflecting on what we can learn from this survey about how geography builds canons, the strengths and weaknesses of the discipline's canon formation and its role in promoting humane inquiry.