Alexander R. Korsunsky: The combat experience of a medievalist
https://doi.org/10.22394/2412-9410-2023-9-2-187-212
Abstract
The article considers the problem how combat experience influenced professional activity in the sphere of medieval studies, based on the case of A. R. Korsunsky (1914–1980). The study draws on documents from the Central Archives of the Ministry of Defense (Moscow) and from the Archive of the Medieval Studies Department of the Faculty of History, Moscow State University. The influence of Korsunsky’s combat experience is studied in the context of some clear parallels with the combat biographies of Ernst Kantorowicz and Marc Bloch. Some important tendencies of their scholarly activity can be explained only by this factor. Korsunsky became a volunteer in July, 1941, at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. He participated in the battles of Kursk (1943), of Dnieper River (1943) and the Korsun-Shevchenkovsky offensive (1944). At the same time, his scholarly views were greatly influenced by his experience as a propaganda officer and as an officer of the Political Department of the 1st Guards Army Staff (since 1944). The main result of this experience (both combat and that as staff officer) was to strengthen and consolidate his Marxist vision of historical processes, in spite of his critical attitude towards some aspects of Soviet life. While Korsunsky maintained close links with foreign colleagues and saw his work as part of world scholarship, he, like many other former veterans, remained true to Marxist views to the end of his life.
Keywords
combat experience,
historiography of historical scholar-ship,
medieval studies,
medievalism,
Alexander Korsunsky,
Ernst Kantorowicz,
Marc Bloch,
the historian and society
Supporting agencies: The article was prepared in the framework of a research grant funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (grant ID: 075-15-2022-326).
About the Author
O. V. Aurov
The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration; Russian State University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Oleg V. Aurov - Cand. Sci. (History), Assistant Professor, Leading Researcher, Laboratory for Classical Culture, School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Head of the Department of World History, Institute of Social Sciences, The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration; Associate Professor, Department of General History, Historical Faculty, Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH)
119571, Moscow, Prospect Vernadskogo, 82; Tel.: +7 (499) 956-96-47
125047, Moscow, Miusskaya Sq., 6; Tel.: +7 250-61-18
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Review
For citations:
Aurov O.V. Alexander R. Korsunsky: The combat experience of a medievalist. Shagi / Steps. 2023;9(2):187-212. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22394/2412-9410-2023-9-2-187-212
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