Zvi Gitelman has taught at the University of Michigan since 1968 and is affi liated with the Political Science Department, Center for Russian and East European Studies, and Frankel Center for Judaic Studies. He focuses on ethnicity and politics in Eastern Europe. He has been a visiting professor in Moscow, Budapest, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem.

Inspired by Karl Marx’s vision of a “world without nations,” the
Bolsheviks believed that religion and nations were artificial constructs of the capitalists designed to keep the working class divided against itself. National passions forced them to recognize the staying power of ethnicity and they constructed a federal state as an interim measure. While the U.S.S.R. did integrate politically a large variety of peoples and cultures, ultimately it fragmented into 15 states, many of which now confront minority nationalisms. Russia itself has become militantly nationalistic. Professor Gitelman will explore the theories, hopes, and realities surrounding the “national question” in the former Soviet space for the past century.

This is the second in a six-lecture series. The subject is Russia – Unriddled, The next lecture will be October 6, entitled The Importance of Misreading Russia.