Citation for MIT Historian Wood's 2012 essay "Performing Memory"

MIT historian Elizabeth Wood's essay "Performing Memory: Vladmir Putin and the Celebration of WWII in Russia," has been named one of the ten most read/influential Slavic journal articles of 2012 by Brill Publishing.

Wood's article postulates that by making World War II a personal event and also a sacred one, Vladimir Putin has created a myth and a ritual that elevates him personally, uniting Russia (at least theoretically) and showing him as the natural hero-leader, the warrior who is personally associated with defending the Motherland.

"Performing Memory: Vladmir Putin and the Celebration of WWII in Russia," and the other selected articles are available free online until July 1, 2013 

Suggested Links

Elizabeth Wood webpage | MIT History

MIT News: Performing Justice: Agitation Trials in Early Soviet Russia
Courtroom drama, Soviet-style