RUSS 037. Crime or Punishment: Russian Narratives of Captivity and Incarceration

(Cross-listed as LITR 037R )
"Bless you, prison, for having been in my life!" - Solzhenitsyn. While the Gulag remains the most infamous aspect of the Soviet justice system, Russia has a long history of inhumane punishment on a terrifying scale. This course explores narratives of incarceration, punishment, and captivity from the 17th century to the present day. In discussing (non-)fiction, history, and theory, we will consider such topics as justice, violence and its artistic representations, totalitarianism, witness-bearing, and the possibility of transcendence in suffering. 

Authors include Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Kropotkin, Akhmatova, Solzhenitsyn, Pussy Riot, Navalny, Michel Foucault, Susan Sontag, and Angela Davis, among others. 

We'll also have the opportunity to speak with two of our writers, Ali Feruz (jailed Uzbek journalist + LGBTQ+ rights activist) and Oleg Navalny (served 3.5 years on false charges + brother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny).

Taught in translation; no knowledge of Russian language or culture required. All are welcome.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Eligible for PEAC, INTP, GLBL-Paired, ESCH
Catalog chapter: Modern Languages and Literatures: Russian  
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/russian


Access the class schedule to search for sections.



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