Multiethnic Russia and the Soviet Union: How to diversify and decolonise your curriculum

Joint event from the Historical Association and Study Group of the Russian Revolution

Saturday 9 November 2024, Manchester

When we say 'Russia', who do we really mean?

Both Tsarist Russia and the USSR were multiethnic states and empires, made up of many diverse peoples from Russians to Tatars, Roma to Jews, Ukrainians to Ingush.

This one-day session, delivered jointly by the Historical Association and Study Group of the Russian Revolution, brings together leading academics in Russian and Soviet society and experienced teachers to discuss approaches to teaching a diverse, complex history of these states and their peoples.

Join Dr Robert Dale (Newcastle University), Dr Shane O’Rourke (University of York), Dr Beatrice Penati (University of Liverpool), and Dr Alistair Dickins (Cheadle Hulme High School and Sixth Form) for cutting edge academic talks and an innovative pedagogical showcase aimed at boosting your knowledge, confidence, and teaching approaches.

This session is aimed at teachers of Russian and Soviet history, and multiethnic and imperial histories more generally, from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5.

Learning outcomes

The event aims to:

Boost teachers’ confidence in approaching Imperial Russia and the USSR as multiethnic states and empires;
Provide insight and access into the latest research on multiethnic Russia and the USSR;
Share and explore pedagogical approaches to teaching a diverse and decolonised curriculum in this area.

Programme

10.00		Welcome and introduction
10.15		Session 1: Tsarist Imperial Society and Ethnicity (Shane O’Rourke, University of York) Read more A specialist in late-Imperial Russian society and ethnicities, including the Cossacks, Dr O’Rourke will explore society under the last three Tsars, examining Russification in the western Russian borderlands, Russian settler colonialism, the Caucasus and deportation, and current historiographical trends. A specialist in late-Imperial Russian society and ethnicities, including the Cossacks, Dr O’Rourke will explore society under the last three Tsars, examining Russification in the western Russian borderlands, Russian settler colonialism, the Caucasus and deportation, and current historiographical trends. Show less
11.15		Session 2: Soviet Society and Ethnicity (Dr Robert Dale, Newcastle University) Read more A specialist in Soviet social and cultural history, Dr Dale will focus on the era of Lenin, Stalin, and Khrushchev, considering changing nationalities policies, Soviet settler colonialism, ethnic deportations and terror under Stalin, language and culture policies, and current historiographical trends. Show less
12.15		Session 3: Approaching the Diversity of Gulag Camp Life and Society (Dr. Mark Vincent) Read more Dr. Vincent, a specialist in the Gulag prison system and Soviet penality, and recently qualified history teacher, will present an approach to examining Soviet prison camps as melting pots of diverse ethnic, cultural, and social groups in the USSR, combining contemporary artwork from inside the camps with current scholarship on the camps' people and peoples. Show less
12.45		Lunch
13.15		Session 4: Gender and Ethnicity in Central Asia (Dr Beatrice Penati, Liverpool University) Read more A specialist in Central Asia under Russian and Soviet rule, Dr Penati will examine how pre- and post-revolutionary ethnic policies, state-led modernisation, biopolitics and the emancipation of women, and war mobilisation shaped former Tsarist colonies. Together with current historiographical trends, she will present a range of sources for teaching, including audiovisual. Show less
14.15		Session 5: Jewish History in Russia and the USSR – Approaches for Teachers (Dr Alistair Dickins, Cheadle Hulme High School and Sixth Form) Read more An experienced teacher with a PhD in Russian and Soviet History, and writer of the Istorik teaching blog, Dr Dickins will showcase and model approaches to teaching Jewish History in a Russian and Soviet context, including Jewish social and cultural life in late-Imperial and Soviet Russia, Jewish national politics under Soviet rule, pogroms, and the experience of the Holocaust in the USSR. Show less
15.00		Closing comments and thanks

How to book

Price: £7 standard, £4 concessions (all prices are inclusive of VAT and booking fees). This event is available to book online using Cademy only.

Book Now

For any enquiries about this event, please contact events@history.org.uk. All Historical Association events are subject to the HA CPD terms and conditions.

Multiethnic Russia and the Soviet Union: a short introduction

Alistair Dickins offers a brief outline of the event and what attendees can expect:

Can't see the video? Download it here