The Cossack Myth
History and Nationhood in the Age of Empires

In the years following the Napoleonic Wars, a mysterious manuscript began to circulate among the dissatisfied noble elite of the Russian Empire. Entitled The History of the Rus', it became one of the most influential historical texts of the modern era. Attributed to an eighteenth-century Orthodox archbishop, it described the heroic struggles of the Ukrainian Cossacks. Alexander Pushkin read the book as a manifestation of Russian national spirit but Taras Shevchenko interpreted it as a quest for Ukrainian national liberation and it would inspire thousands of Ukrainians to fight for the freedom of their homeland. Serhii Plokhy tells the fascinating story of the text's discovery and dissemination unravelling the mystery of its authorship and tracing its subsequent impact on Russian and Ukrainian historical and literary imagination. In so doing he brilliantly illuminates the relationship between history, myth, empire and nationhood from Napoleonic times to the fall of the Soviet Union.

Awards

• Winner of the 2013 Historia Nova Prize for the Best Book on Russian Intellectual History, Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation and the Academic Studies Press

Reviews & endorsements

"With its impressive source base, deep analysis, and thoughtful integration into comparative studies of empire, this book offers valuable insights for historians of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, as well as scholars interested in Ukrainian history and culture, eastern European historiography and comparative studies of empire."
Rebecca Mitchell, Canadian Journal of History

Customer reviews

Product details

• Date Published: July 2014
• format: Paperback
• isbn: 9781107449039
• length: 408 pages

• dimensions: 229 x 152 x 21 mm
• weight: 0.54kg
• contains: 13 b/w illus. 4 maps
• availability: Available