VIRTUAL LECTURE: A Day in the Life of a Russian Peasant

An online lecture with Stephan Sveshnikov: Step into the shoes of a Russian peasant for an entire day, and immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and struggles of 19th-century rural life.

The history of the Russian peasantry is often focused on catastrophes like famine and Stalinist Collectivization, or dominated by literary figures drawn from Tolstoy and Pushkin. But what was regular daily life really like for the largest class in Imperial Russia? This lecture imagines a day in the nineteenth century, set in a peasant village in the Russian North. What food was on the table? Who milked the cows? What games did the children play?

In reconstructing our picture of a northern Russian village, we will consider the role of the parish and provincial clergy in rural life, animals that lived alongside humans (both domestic and wild), the smells and sounds of rural life, music and courtship, food and clothing, and the social hierarchy of the village household and larger community.

Via ZOOM. Register HERE.