Library Guides: Russian and East European Studies: Background Information

Overview of Russian and East European Studies

This guide is for students working on a topic related to Russia, the former USSR, and Eastern Europe. Please use contact information on the left to get in touch with me if you need help finding resources pertaining to your research.

When searching for materials in Cyrillic languages it helps to search in the original language and in transliteration. Many databases, including the library catalog and WorldCat use Library of Congress transliteration system. When searching for materials in Latin-alphabet languages which use diacritics, it helps to perform searches both with and without diacritics.

RELATED SUBJECT GUIDES

Slavic Information Resources
This guide is created and maintained by the University of Illinois’ Slavic Reference Service.
Russian Language and Literature
Art, Art History, and Design
Film, Television, and Theatre
Political Science
Guide to Open Access Historical News Sources from Slavic, East European and Eurasian Countries
This online guide aims to provide a handy, country-by-country list of open access historical news sources produced by the native and diaspora communities of Russian, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe.
Fontes: Open Access Sources for Ukrainian History

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Dictionaries are most often collections of words in one or more specific languages, usually arranged in alphabetical order, providing information like word meanings, usage, etymology, and, when they contain more than one language, translations. Some dictionaries include information more commonly found in encyclopedias. Encyclopedias are collections of information on terms, figures, eras, locations also arranged alphabetically, and, alongside definitions of terms, they also include more in-depth general information on a topic. Encyclopedias can be general or subject-specific.

Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Brings together digitized entries from Oxford's Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias, spanning multiple subject areas.

Encyclopedia of Russian History by James R. Millar
ISBN: 0028659074
Publication Date: 2003-12-01
"This four-volume set features nearly 1,500 entries by experts on all aspects of Russian history, including important biographical figures, geographical areas, ethnographic groups, cultural landmarks, military campaigns, and social issues."--"The Top 20 Reference Titles of the Year," American Libraries, May 2004.
The Cambridge History of Russia by Maureen Perrie (Editor)
ISBN: 9781139054102
Publication Date: 2008-03-28
This first volume of the Cambridge History of Russia covers the period from early ('Kievan') Rus' to the start of Peter the Great's reign in 1689. It surveys the development of Russia through the Mongol invasions to the expansion of the Muscovite state in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and deals with political, social, economic and cultural issues under the Riurikid and early Romanov rulers. The volume is organised on a primarily chronological basis, but a number of general themes are also addressed, including the bases of political legitimacy; law and society; the interactions of Russians and non-Russians; and the relationship of the state with the Orthodox Church. The international team of authors incorporates the latest Russian and Western scholarship and offers an authoritative new account of the formative 'pre-Petrine' period of Russian history, before the process of Europeanisation had made a significant impact on society and culture.
The Cambridge Companion to Modern Russian Culture by Nicholas Rzhevsky (Editor)
ISBN: 9781139030359
Publication Date: 2012-07-28
Russia's size, the diversity of its peoples and its unique geographical position straddling East and West have created a culture that is both inward and outward looking. Its history reflects the tension between very different approaches to what culture can and should be, and this tension shapes the vibrancy of its arts today. The highly successful first edition of Rzhevsky's Companion has been updated to include post-Soviet trends and new developments in the twenty-first century. It brings together leading authorities writing on Russian cultural identity, its Western and Asian connections, popular culture and the unique Russian contributions to the arts. Each of the eleven chapters has been revised or entirely rewritten to take account of current cultural conditions and the further reading brought up to date. The book reveals, for students, academic researchers and all those interested in Russia, the dilemmas, strengths and complexities of the Russian cultural experience.