Everyday Transnationalism: Soviet and American Correspondence During the Cold War
Alexis Peri will present her research on how individual women confronted the complexities of ideology and policy through letters, and how they negotiated personal, political, national, and international issues even as they became embroiled in Cold War politics.
Overview
Scholars have long assumed that there was little contact between Soviet and American civilians during the Truman-Stalin era, a time more associated with the dawn of the Cold War, McCarthyism in America, and the anti-western Zhdanovshchina in the Soviet Union. And yet, during this tumultuous time, American and Soviet women were in regular, intimate contact. Between 1944 and 1955, they exchanged over 500 letters, attempting to safeguard peace and advance mutual understanding by becoming pen-pals. Alexis Peri presented her research on how individual women confronted the complexities of ideology and policy through these letters, and how they negotiated personal, political, national, and international issues even as they became embroiled in Cold War politics.
Speakers
Hosted By
Kennan Institute
The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange. Read more
Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War. Through an award winning Digital Archive, the Project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the Cold War and its many contemporary legacies. It is part of the Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. Read more
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