Frost, Ice, and Snow: Cold Climate in Russian History

Conference

16.02.2012 – 18.02.2012

Location: GHI Moscow, Nachimovskij Prospekt 51/21, 117418 Moscow

Conveners: Julia Herzberg (RCC), Andreas Renner (University of Tübingen), Klaus Gestwa (University of Tübingen), Ingrid Schierle (DHI, Moscow)

Conference Report - English (pdf, 327 KB)

Program - English (pdf, 1400 KB), Program - Russian (pdf, 1407 KB), Program - Original (pdf, 1414 KB)

Call for Papers – English (pdf, 196 KB)

Call for Papers – Russian (pdf, 301 KB)

Russia was and remains especially associated with cold. Not only do terms from recent history – like “Cold War” and “thaw” – stand metonymically for Russia and the Soviet Union. The discourses about the Russian cold stem from existential experiences. Due to its geographical location, extreme weather influences reign in Russia. In Russia and the Soviet Union, the cold was a constant cultural challenge, a phenomenon that influenced actions, everyday experiences, and mentalities, and determined both external and self-perceptions.

Focusing on the factor of climate, this conference will discuss and connect new approaches to Russian environmental history. The goal of the conference is to explore the relevance of environmental historical research questions for Russian history on the basis of climatic conditions. Furthermore, the conference will establish a network of colleagues who work on the environmental history of Russia and the Soviet Union.

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