Category Archives: Essays

Potatoes are the Key to Baltic Cuisine

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By Julianna Cooper During the summer of 2022 I traveled across the globe to visit the three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. I was part of a three-week study abroad program “Postauthoritarian Borderlands: State and Society in the … Continue reading

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Soviet Statues in Lithuania

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By: Scott Day and Ricky Underwood             The Soviet state solidified its rule through statues. Over the course of its existence, the Soviet state built statues to Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and other important figures, placing them in every republic as … Continue reading

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Discovering Gogol in Mel Brooks’s “The Producers”

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By Joseph Puckett The devotion of audiences, critics and the film industry has cemented Mel Brooks’ legacy as one of the premier comedians in American cinematic history. He is a frequent subject of media studies and the success of his … Continue reading

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“The People’s Wishes”: Soviet Media Reports on Lithuania in 1940

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By Arabella Schwarber On August 3, 1940, the Supreme Soviet adopted a law on the admittance of the Lithuanian state into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Both the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities voted unanimously … Continue reading

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The 1991 Project: The Lenin Library Closes

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By Liam Martin             It had to happen eventually. On Dec. 6, 1991, as the Moscow News reported, the Lenin State Library was finally closed… for sanitary reasons. According to the writer, Martin Reesink, the cleanliness of the library, including … Continue reading

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Notes from Dostoevsky: The Underground, Spirituality, and Personhood

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By Craig Verniest             On Monday, November 8, the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies welcomed guest lecturer Dr. Susan McReynolds for its latest installment in the Fall Colloquia “Dostoevsky at 200” series. Dr. McReynolds is an associate professor … Continue reading

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