This second edition of this beloved Russian textbook deepens our understanding of the dramatic history of the Russophone world
Since 2007, Advanced Russian Through History has been a classic textbook helping students develop high levels of proficiency. However, recent world events have compelled a reconsideration of the history of the Russian imperial project.
This second edition of Advanced Russian Through History decenters the history of Russia from the history of ethnic Russians. Scholars from across the Russophone world contributed essays and minilectures, providing new perspectives on the history of peoples in the Russophone world, enriching students' understanding of the diversity of speakers of the Russian language and the cultures and histories of peoples in the Russophone world, from Kyivan Rus' to current times, including the Muscovite State, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation, and Russia's war against Ukraine.
This textbook meets the needs of contemporary Russian language students who have at least intermediate reading proficiency: it consists of fifty chapters, each with its own essay and at least one minilecture, as well as learning tasks focused on comprehension, interpretation, and linguistic analysis. The book also features a wealth of supplementary materials available through its website, including scholarly articles and video recordings of lectures, news articles, and broadcasts; films; poems; songs; anecdotes; podcasts; and interviews.
Reviews
"The new edition of Advanced Russian Through History is an outstanding resource for advanced college-level Russian instruction. Written by experienced Russian-speaking scholars, the entries present diverse perspectives on Russian history, masterfully integrating language study with historical analysis. This volume represents a unique and much-needed contribution to postsecondary Russian-language education."—Marina Alexandrova, associate director, Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
"A substantially updated and expanded edition, this volume is an essential resource for teaching Russian through academic content. It masterfully integrates historical scholarship, multimodal authentic materials, and diverse Russophone perspectives with structured linguistic support, fostering advanced proficiency alongside critical engagement with Russia's past and present."—Victoria Hasko, University of Georgia
"Advanced Russian Through History, Second Edition, stands out for its intellectual rigor and thoughtful pedagogical design. Drawing on expert essays and diverse source materials, the textbook empowers learners to engage with complex themes at advanced and superior levels, explore contested histories from multiple viewpoints, and strengthen their analytical and critical thinking skills."—Maria Y. Khotimsky, senior lecturer in Russian, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"This edition introduces an important new dimension of bias in history, adding a different focus to the relationship between historical and literary aspects of historians' narratives. By including authors from post-Soviet spaces outside Russia, it presents an invaluable diversity of views on the region's past, developing students' language and critical thinking."—Natalia V. Parker, University College London
About the Author
Anna Alsufieva is a teaching associate professor of Russian and assistant director of the Russian Flagship Program at Portland State University.
Benjamin Rifkin is professor of Russian and provost at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is an award-winning author of many articles on learning and teaching Russian.
