Whither Intellectual History? A Roundtable on Endre Sashalmi’s Russian Notions of Power and State in a European Perspective, 1462–1725. Assessing the Significance of Peter’s Reign

Abstract

Endre Sashalmi’s 2022 monograph Russian Notions of Power and State was the topic of a particularly vibrant roundtable discussion at the 2024 convention of the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies in Boston, USA, on 24 November 2024. The book itself has received critical acclaim since its first appearance and was awarded the Marc Raeff prize of the Eighteenth-Century Russian Empire Studies Association in 2023. Despite the infelicitous scheduling of the panel on a Sunday morning, on the last half-day of the conference, it drew a large audience that actively participated in the discussion. The conversation continued after the formal close of the panel, both in the hallway and subsequently by email.

Professor Peter B. Brown of Rhode Island College organised the roundtable, and joined ex-officio the panellists of record: Professor Russell E. Martin of Westminster College, Professor Lawrence N. Langer of the University of Connecticut, Professor Carol B. Stevens of Colgate University, Professor David Goldfrank of Georgetown University, and Professor Donald Ostrowski of Harvard University, with Professor Eve Levin of the University of Kansas presiding as chair. Professor Sashalmi was also afforded the opportunity to reply during the session. All of the participants are senior scholars of Russia, Muscovy, and premodern Rus’ who have grappled with the issues tackled in Sashalmi’s book.