Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RENAISSANCE USSR (HUMANISM BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN: ITALIAN RENAISSANCE STUDIES IN THE SOVIET UNION)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-11-01 bis 2024-10-31
The project RENAISSANCE USSR investigates a largely unexplored chapter in the global history of historiography: the study of the Italian Renaissance in the Soviet Union from the 1920s to the 1980s. While the Italian Renaissance is widely regarded as a foundational moment in the emergence of modern European identity, celebrated for its values of humanism, scientific inquiry, and individualism, its historiography has long been dominated by Western narratives. From Jacob Burckhardt’s landmark The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1861) onwards, the field has grown significantly in Europe and North America. Yet Renaissance scholarship developed in parallel, albeit in relative isolation, in the Soviet Union, where the Italian Renaissance was appropriated within a distinct ideological and cultural framework.
The main problem addressed by the project is the neglect of Soviet contributions to Renaissance studies in mainstream academic discourse. Soviet scholars, despite limited access to funding, primary sources, and international mobility, produced a rich body of work on Italian humanism, Renaissance political thought, and philosophy. However, this scholarship remained largely invisible to the global academic community due to the language barrier, Cold War-era geopolitical divides, and differing ideological frameworks. As a result, modern accounts of the Renaissance often exclude twentieth-century Eastern European perspectives, undermining efforts to understand the Renaissance as a truly global heritage.
This issue is important to society because it reveals how historical narratives are shaped by political and cultural power structures. In an increasingly interconnected world, there is a growing imperative to reassess Eurocentric frameworks and incorporate marginalized voices into global intellectual history. By illuminating the Soviet reception and reinterpretation of the Italian Renaissance, the project contributes to a more pluralistic and inclusive historiography. It also offers insights into how knowledge circulates across ideological and political boundaries and how cultural memory is constructed in different contexts.
The main objective of the project was to examine the Italian Renaissance Studies in the Soviet Union, taken as an independent and considerably isolated scholarly tradition, but placed in the broader context of intellectual history and development of Renaissance historiography in the twentieth century. The project sought to comprehend (1) why and how Italian Renaissance intellectual history was extensively studied in the Soviet Union, (2) what was the contribution of the Soviet scholars to the field on the international level and how they reshaped understanding of Renaissance humanism, and (3) how these scholars, whose financial opportunities and academic mobility were significantly limited, participated in the international academic networks.
The main problem addressed by the project is the neglect of Soviet contributions to Renaissance studies in mainstream academic discourse. Soviet scholars, despite limited access to funding, primary sources, and international mobility, produced a rich body of work on Italian humanism, Renaissance political thought, and philosophy. However, this scholarship remained largely invisible to the global academic community due to the language barrier, Cold War-era geopolitical divides, and differing ideological frameworks. As a result, modern accounts of the Renaissance often exclude twentieth-century Eastern European perspectives, undermining efforts to understand the Renaissance as a truly global heritage.
This issue is important to society because it reveals how historical narratives are shaped by political and cultural power structures. In an increasingly interconnected world, there is a growing imperative to reassess Eurocentric frameworks and incorporate marginalized voices into global intellectual history. By illuminating the Soviet reception and reinterpretation of the Italian Renaissance, the project contributes to a more pluralistic and inclusive historiography. It also offers insights into how knowledge circulates across ideological and political boundaries and how cultural memory is constructed in different contexts.
The main objective of the project was to examine the Italian Renaissance Studies in the Soviet Union, taken as an independent and considerably isolated scholarly tradition, but placed in the broader context of intellectual history and development of Renaissance historiography in the twentieth century. The project sought to comprehend (1) why and how Italian Renaissance intellectual history was extensively studied in the Soviet Union, (2) what was the contribution of the Soviet scholars to the field on the international level and how they reshaped understanding of Renaissance humanism, and (3) how these scholars, whose financial opportunities and academic mobility were significantly limited, participated in the international academic networks.
To achieve these goals, the project was structured in two main phases. The first phase examined the intellectual roots of Soviet Renaissance studies in nineteenth-century Imperial Russia and traced methodological shifts following the October Revolution of 1917. It analyzed early Soviet publications on the Italian Renaissance and explored how they aligned with the broader effort to create a new socialist culture. This phase involved the study of humanist literature, early Soviet historiography, and sources related to historical methodology, cultural politics, and academic infrastructure in the Soviet Union.
The second phase focused on the period from the 1950s to the 1980s, examining how Soviet scholars engaged with Western literature, which sources were available to them, and how their work was shaped by the political climate of the time. Drawing on archival materials from Russia, Italy, and the United States, the project reconstructed intellectual biographies of major Soviet Renaissance historians and analyzed their correspondence with Western scholars. This allowed the project to map cross-border academic exchanges and identify channels through which ideas moved across ideological divides.
The second phase focused on the period from the 1950s to the 1980s, examining how Soviet scholars engaged with Western literature, which sources were available to them, and how their work was shaped by the political climate of the time. Drawing on archival materials from Russia, Italy, and the United States, the project reconstructed intellectual biographies of major Soviet Renaissance historians and analyzed their correspondence with Western scholars. This allowed the project to map cross-border academic exchanges and identify channels through which ideas moved across ideological divides.
The project represents a step beyond the current state of the art in the field of the history of historiography, particularly the historiography of the Italian Renaissance, a historical period of particular importance for European self-reflection. The results of the project will contribute to a broader goal of advancing our understanding of global knowledge circulation and intellectual networks. In addition, it has the potential to stimulate further research in the fields of Renaissance studies, Russian/Soviet studies, and global intellectual history. By highlighting the overlooked contributions of Soviet scholars, the project is expected to foster greater collaboration and dialogue between different intellectual traditions, paving the way for a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to the study of history. By bringing them into focus, we can learn more about the past and how it shapes our world today.
The monograph “The Italian Renaissance in the Soviet Union: Historiography and Cultural Reception, 1920s–1980s,” developed as part of the research project, will be an invaluable resource for both professional historians and the general public interested in understanding the Soviet perspective on the Italian Renaissance. This work is planned for publication with Brill in 2026. Another key outcome of the project is the international workshop “Historiographies Lost and Reclaimed: Scholarship on the Italian Renaissance in Central and Eastern Europe,” held at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice on 10-11 February 2025. The edited volume, featuring papers presented at the workshop, is also expected to be published with Brill in 2026.
The monograph “The Italian Renaissance in the Soviet Union: Historiography and Cultural Reception, 1920s–1980s,” developed as part of the research project, will be an invaluable resource for both professional historians and the general public interested in understanding the Soviet perspective on the Italian Renaissance. This work is planned for publication with Brill in 2026. Another key outcome of the project is the international workshop “Historiographies Lost and Reclaimed: Scholarship on the Italian Renaissance in Central and Eastern Europe,” held at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice on 10-11 February 2025. The edited volume, featuring papers presented at the workshop, is also expected to be published with Brill in 2026.