In Search for Common Ground: Canadian Studies in Contemporary Russia

Abstract

This article offers a survey of the Russian scholarly literature devoted to Canada over the last twenty years. It is based on a bibliography, comprising nearly 2000 entries, which includes the works of scholars who have published in the leading Russian academic journals devoted (at least in part) to Canada. We conclude that Canada remains a significant topic of study in Russia; scholars do not limit themselves to the relationship between the two countries; they are equally interested in elements of the Canadian experience (the history of colonization, federalism, language contact, multiculturalism, among others) that have particular relevance for contemporary Russia. Despite significant geopolitical differences between the two countries, members of the Russian Canadian studies community continue to look to Canada as, at least in certain respects, a model for their own society. This article illustrates, therefore, not only the way in which Canada is perceived abroad but also the ideological pluralism that existed in Russia, at least until 2022.