Valentina Pavlovna Korzun,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Omsk State Pedagogical University, Omsk, Russia, e‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Looking into the Show Stindow: The 220-Year Anniversary of the USSR Academy of Sciences through the Eyes of Foreign Scientists
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2025-1-5
The author of this article focuses on the reflection of foreign participants in the anniversary celebrations on the occasion of the 220th anniversary of the USSR Academy of Sciences, reflected in their diary entries and memories. We are talking about the Russian Diary of the Canadian economist and one of the founders of the Toronto School of Communications, Harold Innis draft diary entries of the world famous Anglo-German physicist Max Born, as well as a monographic study by Australian botanist Eric Ashby, written hot on the heels of the anniversary, including direct impressions of the anniversary. It is concluded that the showcase image of Soviet science, which is natural for a historical anniversary event, was adjusted in the perception of foreign scientists under the influence of individual ideological guidelines, disciplinary affiliation, communication practices in various scientific communities, and direct inclusion in Soviet everyday life. The image of the science, captured by the mentioned scientists, was characterized by the following features: 1) close dependence on the state both in institutional terms and in terms of social order, which affected the hierarchy of disciplines and scientific directions and the material status of scientists; 2) focus on the single methodology (“philosophical faith”) and strict ideological control; 3) the huge role of popularization practices in terms of memorization of science and its figures. At the same time the features that were not intended for the showcase were fixed: the repressive component of scientific policy, the social hierarchy in the scientific community and the classicalization of scientists regardless of scientific achievements. In general, the anniversary was highly appreciated, the holiday was considered to be an effective way to consolidate the world community and a significant platform for the popularization of science.
Publishing: 24/02/2025
The article has been received by the editor on 06/11/2024
How to cite: Korzun V.P. Looking into the Show Stindow: The 220-Year Anniversary of the USSR Academy of Sciences through the Eyes of Foreign Scientists // Historical Courier, 2025, No. 1 (39), pp. 61–71. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2025/ISTKURIER-2025-1-05.pdf]
The study was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation within the framework of scientific project No. 23-28-007-58.
Links: Issue 1 2025
Keywords: anniversary of the USSR Academy of Sciences; Soviet science; Max Born; Harold Innis; Eric Ashby; field of communications; foreign scientists