Parahistory: History at Play in Russia and Beyond. Issue 1 (2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brooks, Jeffrey; Dralyuk, Boris
• Is Part Of: Slavic review. Volume 75: Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 77
• Page End: 98
• Publication Date: 2016
• Subjects: Slavs -- Periodicals; Europe -- History -- Periodicals; 300
• DOI: 10.5612/slavicreview.75.1.77
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0037-6779

Abstract

Abstract : This essay examines a variety of popular engagements with history made possible by new technologies, namely the Internet and video games. We term these nondisciplinary appropriations of history parahistorical. Parahistory is an international phenomenon, but it is articulated differently in various national contexts. Russian parahistorical pursuits provide insight into both the phenomenon at large and the peculiarities of the Russian state's and population's attitudes toward history and historical memory. On the basis of a contextualized survey of Russian parahistory, we argue that historians cannot afford to ignore these uses of history beyond the academy which can teach us a great deal about the nature and broader implications of our discipline.