Ideology and Identity in Teaching about Russia in the United States: 1945-1950

Abstract

In 1945, predominantly white and male academics at elite postsecondary institutions, bolstered by nineteenth century industrialist wealth and connected to government and military elites, shaped and influenced the teaching of Russian in the United States in ways that remain traceable in the field today.
Through critical inquiry the study finds that the field’s progenitors reacted to war and McCarthyism in ways that were color-blind, politically-averse, and self-preservational, exposing the roots of white supremacy and Russocentrism in Russian language textbooks. Critical race theory helpfully frames matters of anti-discrimination law and interest convergence regarding de jure and de facto forms of educational exclusion. The study locates and illuminates significant developments in Russian language instruction during and after the war. It also assesses and presents ideologies about teaching and learning Russian that were expressed contemporaneously by practitioners.