Sandra C. Taylor
Department of Recent and Contemporary History
Moscow State University

Fulbright Program in Russia: Prospects and Problems of the Community of Scholars

    My contacts have come through various sources. I attended an IREX workshop for researchers that introduced me to other scholars, and I learned about the difficulties of doing research here. I made contact with Professor Vladimir Pechatnov of MGIMO through John Brown, the Cultural Attachi at the US Embassy, and spoke to his class. I learned about this institution, its students, and its importance in the academic and political life of Moscow and Russia, which gave me a different perspective on MSU.
    I have some preliminary observations. I think that scholars should be attuned to the current political climate in Russia when they arrive, and perhaps more care given to inform them of current events, the "mood" of Russo-American relations, the need to be sensitive to their host's feelings of insecurity in the world and grave concerns about the future. Generational change is very important. While most of my younger Russian colleagues have been cordial, I have encountered at least one professor whose view of the US dates from the Stalinist era (he will not even speak to me.) I have encountered no "gender" problem. Prospective students to the US should know more about American institutions and their willingness to host Russian students. Care should be taken to make sure the Russian students who come to the United States are not cordoned off in an "international student ghetto" but can participate in the intellectual life of the university as a whole. Russia needs to participate in the European community of scholars. A colleague, the former secretary treasurer of the European Association for American Studies, remarked that while he had received inquiries from Russia to join, there appeared to be two Russian associations for American Studies, and he did not know which one best fit the EAAS perspectives I could not enlighten him. In the meantime, Russia remains isolated from interchange with the rest of Europe in this very important field. Money is the main problem I see in Russian institutions. The universities are run-down, poor, and the students suffer from lack of books. Basic supplies are unavailable or locked up and out of reach. There are books here, but they are divided between different universities and public libraries with differing hours, lending policies, and the like. More cooperation and less competition for scarce resources would seem to be in order.