Authors

Sophia Buck¹;  ¹ Lady Margaret Hall, UK

Discussion

This paper proposes to examine the intercultural settings of UK Slavonic Studies, flourishing as 'enemy studies' during the Cold War. For the young discipline directed at cultures ‘abroad’, the wake and aftermath of World War II was especially formative since its disciplinary outlook was catalysed through being ‘at war’ with its subject. As one consequence, the discipline evolved at a particular cross-section of philology, cultural and linguistic studies, library, information and military studies. This contribution







explores the idea of migrating collections as intercultural actors and mirrors of international relations.



To address the material topography of the academic culture in UK Slavonic Studies, I want to investigate the interaction of translocated material with creating (new) imaginary topographies by (émigré) scholars in the UK via their work, teaching, and library collections. Thereby, reshaping disciplinary outlooks was not only goverend by political imperatives. Movements of material – the access to which was crucial for evolving research and disrupted severely during times of military antagonsim – is a key point writing a disciplinary history. What were the evolving institutional and individual or private networks (smuggle trade links, library exchange schemes, émigré contacts) allowing for migrating collections? How did this material impact collections policies or profiles and subsequently analytical frameworks of research? And how did the (disrupted) material research culture in the UK translate into new institutional hubs for studying and mapping Slavonic cultures?

As examples may serve 1) the networks and topographies explored by the journal Oxford Slavonic Studies, edited by Sergey Konovalov; 2) library collections, bibliomigrancy and distributional networks or international exchange schemes as established by the All Soul’s College Librarian John Simmons; 3) Ukrainian collections and attempts of establishing the corresponding Institute by Dmytro Bartkiw from the 60s onwards. While such provenance research is well established for museums or writers estates, journals and (library) collections as object and agent in international relations and academic cultures need further attention.