Rebecca Mitchell
Associate Professor of History

- Office
- Axinn Center 239
- Tel
- (802) 443-3292
- rmitchell@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- Spring 2023: Wednesdays 12:00 - 2:00 PM, and by appointment.
- Additional Programs
- History International and Global Studies
Rebecca Mitchell joined the faculty at Middlebury College in January 2016. She studied both music (piano performance) and Russian language and culture at the University of Saskatchewan (B.Mus.), Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University (M.Mus.), and Carleton University (M.A.), before devoting her life to the exploration of Russian/Soviet history. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011. A native of northeastern Saskatchewan (Canada), her research interests have taken her throughout Europe, the UK, Russia and Georgia. She teaches a wide range of courses on the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, Marx and Marxism, and the intersections between music and power in history. Her first book, Nietzsche’s Orphans: Music, Metaphysics and the Twilight of the Russian Empire (Yale University Press, 2015), examines the interrelationship between imperial identity, nationalist tensions, philosophical ideals, and musical life in the final years of the Russian Empire (1905-1917). It received the 2016 W. Bruce Lincoln Book Prize by the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES), awarded biannually “for an author’s first published monograph or scholarly synthesis that is of exceptional merit and lasting significance for the understanding of Russia’s past.” She has received research funding from numerous sources, including the Paul Sacher Stiftung, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, and the University of Illinois Department of History.
Courses Taught
FYSE 1051
Current
The Russian Idea
Course Description
The Russian Idea
In 1866, poet Fedor Tiutchev claimed “Russia cannot be understood by the mind […] Russia can only be believed in”. This mystical interpretation of Russian history and culture is a common trope employed by scholars, artists, and political actors. But why did this conception emerge, how has it evolved, and why does it hold such appeal? We will explore various iterations of the “Russian Idea” in literature, art, philosophy, and politics. In addition to reading excerpts from influential interpreters (Dostoevsky, Tolstoi, Solovev, Berdiaev), we will explore contemporary official and unofficial Russian discourse. Questions we will consider include: What different iterations of the “Russian Idea” have been offered and how have they been connected to state policy (historical and contemporary)? What relationship exists between cultural/artistic production, philosophical ideas, and politics?
Terms Taught
Requirements
FYSE 1482
Marx and Marxism
Course Description
Marx and Marxism
Is Marxism still relevant in a world that has witnessed the collapse of most self-declared Marxist states? To address this question, we will explore the development of central Marxist concepts (including class struggle, alienation, revolution) both in Marx’s own words and in the writings and actions of those he inspired. Central to our inquiry will be consideration of the historical relationship between Marxist theory and practice (in a range of geographic and cultural contexts) and the adaptation of Marxist ideas for cultural and political critiques in the West. 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0247
Tsars, Tsarinas, & Terrorists
Course Description
Russia: Tsars, Tsarinas, and Terrorists
In this course we will follow Russia’s development, expansion and transformation from its earliest beginnings to the revolutionary cataclysms of the early 20th century. How and why did Russia come to dominate a vast Eurasian space? How did Russia’s Tsars and Tsarinas exert control over diverse cultures, languages, religions and peoples? What impact did this have on the lives of their subjects? How was Russian identity defined within the context of a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional empire? Central themes will include political governance, imperial expansion, ethnic relations, religious identity, social upheaval, and the emergence of the radical intelligentsia. Pre-1800 3 hrs lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0248
The Soviet Experiment
Course Description
The Soviet Experiment
In this course we will explore the Soviet attempt to forge a fundamentally new form of human life. Starting with the revolutionary movement of the early 20th century, we will examine the development and ultimate downfall of the USSR. What was Soviet communism (both in idea and in practice)? How did its implementation and development transform local identities (religious, ethnic/national, social)? How did internal and external factors (political, social, economic) transform Soviet policy and life? Was the collapse of the USSR inevitable? Special attention will be paid both to political leaders and ordinary people (believers, collaborators, victims, dissidents, outcasts). 3 hrs lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0307
Music, Power, Resistance
Course Description
Music, Power, and Resistance in World History
This class examines the conflicting relationship between music, power and resistance in world history. Beginning with ancient Greece, we will discuss the relationship between music and power in a wide range of cultural and historical contexts, including music’s relation to religious power (Christianity, Judaism, Islam), political power (China, Europe, North and South America, Africa), and social power (gender, ethnicity, class). Questions of state censorship, propaganda and musical expressions of dissent will be highlighted, as well as the interconnection between aesthetic choices, social status and political views. Musical sources will range from classical to popular forms. No prior musical training required. (formally HIST 0116) 3 hrs sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0313
Revolutionary Russia
Course Description
Revolutionary Russia
The Russian Revolution was a continuum of violence that, through years of civil war and political, social and cultural revolutions, sought to transform the basis of human existence and usher in a utopian future, imposing “Marxist” values upon diverse local cultures and contexts. We will examine the rise and fall of revolutionary sentiment from late-imperial terrorism through the establishment of Stalin’s dictatorship. Through analysis of primary and secondary sources, students will assess both the manifold ambitions of the revolutionary years and how memory of 1917 has been used to justify, critique and at times repossess aspects of Russian/Soviet history. 3 hrs sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0320
Soviet Science
Course Description
Soviet Science from Sputnik to Chernobyl
In 1957, the USSR launched the world’s first artificial satellite. Just four years later, Yuri Gagarin was the first human to orbit Earth. Yet by the 1980s, Soviet development had fostered environmental devastation, a crisis made manifest with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. In this course we will explore the Soviet state’s fascination with science as a means through which to build a utopian future. How did science and technology interact with state power? How was science implicated in Cold War tensions? How did Soviet “atomic culture” affect ordinary citizens? (Counts for HSMT credit) 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0334
Contested Kyiv
Course Description
Contested Kyiv: Ukranian-Russian Relations in Historical Context
Kyiv: capital of the Ukrainian nation? Or Kiev: cradle of Russian civilization? Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2021 claim that “Russians and Ukrainians were one people – a single whole” was a geopolitical maneuver; nonetheless, it highlighted a deeply intertwined and contested history. In this course we will explore the multifaceted history of Kyiv from its founding to the present day in order to better understand the entangled histories of the contemporary Ukrainian and Russian states. Central to our discussions will be primary and secondary sources that offer conflicting dynastic, religious and national histories which have sought to claim Kyiv as their own. We will also probe Kyiv’s Jewish past to better understand the region’s complex multi-confessional and multi-ethnic past. 3 hrs sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0335
Saints, Heathens, Heretics
Course Description
Saints, Heathens and Heretics: Belief and Unbelief in Imperial Russia
Though Orthodox Christianity is often viewed as synonymous with Russian culture, the Russian Empire was home to a dizzying array of religious faiths, including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and varying forms of Christianity. Through primary and secondary source analysis (including textual, visual and aural sources), we will explore the challenges and opportunities this multi-confessional reality posed to Russia’s rulers and the official Orthodox Church. We will also probe the question of what religious faith (in its multiple iterations) meant for subjects from across the social strata and geographic expanse of the empire. How did one lead a spiritually fulfilled life? How did members of different religious faiths interact? What was the relationship between religious and ethnic identities? 3 hrs sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0432
Russia's Imperial Borderlands
Course Description
Russia’s Imperial Borderlands
In this course we will explore the complex fabric of Russia’s multi-ethnic borderlands in the 19th and 20th centuries. How did shifting relations with Russia and other imperial systems shape local identities? How and when did nationalist sentiment emerge in these regions, and how did the imperial center(s) respond? How did shifting borders affect identity formation? Did the creation of the Soviet Union mark the end of empire or its transformation into new forms? Regions to be discussed include Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Georgia, the Baltic countries, and the Central Asian states. 3hrs lect/disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0465
Current
Nuclear Cold War
Course Description
Nuclear Cold War: Americans, Soviets and the Fate of the World
Fears of nuclear Armageddon gripped the world after 1945. How is it that nuclear war never broke out by the time the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991? This course traces the complex relationship between nuclear security, international relations, and domestic politics through the initial development of nuclear weapons, Cold War arms race, emergence of independent Russia, and contemporary tensions. How did shifting social and political environments shape nuclear security concerns? Why, despite the end of the ideological Cold War, did the early 21st century witness the collapse of bilateral arms control and nonproliferation cooperation between Russia and the USA? This course is part of the Public Humanities Labs Initiative administered by the Axinn Center for the Humanities. (Counts for HSMT credit)
Terms Taught
Requirements
HIST 0500
Current
Upcoming
Special Research Projects
Course Description
Special research projects may only be taken during the Junior or Senior year, preferable after taking HIST 0600. Approval of department chair and project advisor is required.
Terms Taught
HIST 0600
History Research Seminar
Course Description
Writing History
In this course students discuss historical methods and writing strategies to create convincing historical narratives. With the approval and guidance of the professor, students complete a 20-25-page research paper based on primary and secondary sources. Students take this course in the fall of their junior year or with permission in the spring. If students are away for the entire junior year, they can take the course in the fall of their senior year. 3 hr. sem.
Terms Taught
HIST 0700
Current
Upcoming
Senior Independent Study I
Course Description
Senior Independent Study I
The optional History Senior Thesis is written over two terms, with the final grade applying to both terms. Approval is required. Students submit thesis proposals in the spring before the year that they choose to write their thesis. Students generally begin their thesis in the fall and complete it during winter or spring. Approval is required to begin the thesis in winter or spring. All students must attend the Thesis Writer's Workshops in fall and winter semesters and work with a faculty advisor to complete a 55-70 page paper. Please see detailed guidelines under history requirements.
Terms Taught
HIST 0701
Upcoming
Senior Independent Study II
Course Description
Senior Independent Study II
With departmental approval, senior history majors may write a two-term thesis under an advisor in the area of their choosing. The final grade is applied to both terms. Students must submit thesis proposals in the spring before the academic year that they choose to write their thesis. They must attend the Thesis Writers' Workshops held in the fall and winter of the academic year in which they begin the thesis. The department encourages students to write theses during the fall (0700) and winter terms (0701), but with the permission of the chair, fall/spring and winter/spring theses are also acceptable. Under exceptional circumstances, the department may approve a thesis initiated in the spring of an academic year and finished in the fall of the following year. Further information about the thesis is available from the department.
Terms Taught
IGST 0701
Upcoming
REES Senior Thesis
Course Description
Russian and East European Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Terms Taught
IGST 0708
Upcoming
Global Security Stds SnrThesis
Course Description
Global Security Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Only)
Terms Taught
Publications
Publications:
Books:
Sergei Rachmaninoff (Critical Lives) (Reaktion Books, May 2022).
Nietzsche’s Orphans: Music, Metaphysics and the Twilight of the Russian Empire, 1905-1917 (Yale University Press, January 2016). Awarded 2016 W. Bruce Lincoln Book Prize by the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES)
Articles/Book Chapters:
“Rachmaninoff and Moscow Musical Life,” in Rachmaninoff and His World, ed. Philip Bullock (University of Chicago Press, 2022), 26-55.
“Scriabin and the Russian Silver Age,” in Demystifying Scriabin, ed. Kenneth Fokert-Smyth and Vasilis Kallis (Boydell & Brewer, 2022), 26-45.
“Russian Musical Interpretations of Nietzsche,” in Nietzsche and Music: Philosophical Thoughts and Musical Experiments, ed. Aysegul Durakoglu, Michael Steinmann and Yunus Tuncel (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2022), 408-430.
“‘Musical Metaphysics’ in Late Imperial Russia,” in The Oxford Handbook of Russian Religious Thought, ed. Randall Poole, Caryl Emerson, George Pattison (Oxford University Press, 2020): 379-395.
“V poiskakh orfeiia: muzyka i irratsionalizm v predrevoliutsionnoi Rossii (1905-1917),” [“In Search of Orpheus: Music and Irrationality in late imperial Russia, 1905-1917,”] in Irratsional’noe v russkoi kul’ture [The Irrational in Russian Culture], ed. Julia Mannherz, (Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie, 2020): 160-192.
“In Search of Russia: Sergei Rakhmaninov and the Politics of Musical Memory after 1917,” in Slavonic and East European Review 97: 1 (January 2019): 136-168.
“Leonid Sabaneev’s Apocalypse and Musical Metaphysics after 1917,” in Transcending the Borders of Countries, Languages and Disciplines in Russian Émigré Culture, ed. Christoph Flamm, Roland Marti and Ada Raev (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018), 231-246.
“Music and Russian Identity in War and Revolution, 1914-1922.” The Cultural History of Russia in the Great War and Revolution, 1914-1922, ed. Murray Frame, Boris Kolonitskii, Steven Marks and Melissa Stockdale (Slavica Publishers, 2014), 221-243.
“How Russian was Wagner? Russian Campaigns to Defend or Destroy the German Composer during the Great War (1914-1917),” in Wagner in Russia, Poland and the Czech Lands – Musical, Literary, and Cultural Perspectives, ed. Anastasia Belina-Johnson and Stephen Muir (Ashgate, 2013), 51-71.
Recent Papers and Invited Talks:
“Old Believer Chant Meets Modernity”. Presented at ASEEES (San Francisco, CA), Nov. 2019.
“Baptized Tatars” in Orthodox Russia: Conversion, Identity, and Song.” Presented at Asia in the Russian Imagination Conference. University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT), March 2018; ASEEES (Boston, MA), Dec. 2018
“Finding ‘True’ Russian Orthodox Chant: Stepan Smolenskii and the Imperial Basis of a National Tradition.” Presented at ASEEES (Chicago, IL), Nov. 2017.
“The Death of the Messiah: Aleksandr Scriabin and the Fate of Russia.” Oxford University (Oxford, UK), October 2017.
“Russian Music in the Twilight of Empire,” Oxford Lieder Festival, Oxford University (Oxford, UK), October 2017.