Suchergebnisse

"The notorious Soviet Gulag gets a radical reinterpretation in this remarkable work of cutting-edge history. By examining the history of Vorkuta, an Arctic coal-mining outpost established in the 1930s as a prison camp complex, Alan Barenberg's insightful study tests the idea that the Gulag was an 'archipelago' separated from Soviet society at large"--Cover

"A vast system of prisons, camps, and exile settlements, the Gulag was one of the defining attributes of the Stalinist Soviet Union and one of the most heinous examples of mass incarceration in the twentieth century, combining the functions of a standard prison system with the goal of isolating and punishing alleged enemies of the Soviet regime. it stretched throughout the Soviet Union, from central Moscow to the farthest reaches of Siberia. From its creation in 1930 to its partial dismantling in the mid-1950s, approximately 25 million people passed through the Gulag. Prisoners and exiles were forced to work in brutal conditions, and millions perished. Although the majority of prisoners and exiles were released after Stalin's death, this was not an end to their struggles. Survivors attempted to reintegrate themselves into a Soviet political, social, and economic system that was hardly welcoming. Although some former prisoners wrote or spoke about their experiences in the years and decades after release, it was not until after the collapse of the Soviet Union that a full reckoning became possible." --

-- Alan Barenberg is a well-respected scholar with an excellent monograph under his belt and a good presence on social media. Emily D. Johnson is also a well-respected scholar and has experience editing volumes. -- The history and legacy of the Gulag is of continuing importance and interest in Soviet, Russian, and Eastern European studies. -- Gulag studies represents a unique opportunity for a collection such as this. While many edited volumes might claim to put contributors in conversation, this volume was conceived primarily as a conversation and therefore the contributors have responded to the work of fellow collaborators within their own chapters. This sense of conversation is underscored by brief summary thoughts on each section provided by distinguished scholars in the field. In this way, it also bridges generational divides between "new wave" scholars using exciting approaches available through digital scholarship and established scholars who helped to define the primary theoretical questions of the field. -- The volume will be of interest to scholars in anthropology, criminology, literature, and history. While the work does not include comparisons between Russian and Soviet penal institutions and those in other areas, individuals who study such institutions will find the volume useful. Some sections of the book may also be used in course packs for advanced university classes on Soviet history, literature, or criminology.