- University of Cape Town, The Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies and Research, Department Memberadd
- History of cross-cultural encounters and interactions between Russia and South Africa. South Africa in the Russian historical consciousness.edit
Bulgarians were among the 2,600 foreigners who took part in the South African War, also known as the Second Anglo-Boer War. Their presence helped to make this colonial conflict a matter of international importance. This paper is an... more
Bulgarians were among the 2,600 foreigners who took part in the South African War, also known as the Second Anglo-Boer War. Their presence helped to make this colonial conflict a matter of international importance. This paper is an attempt to consider the Bulgarian involvement within a context of the pro-Boer campaign in Bulgaria, using published sources of a Bulgarian and international origin and applying the biographical method. Bulgarians travelled to the Transvaal at their own risk and expense. Most of them had military experience and, evidently, expected to improve their combat skills in a modern war against a leading European army. Their sense of kinship with the Boers was evoked by a nationalist paradigm. Bulgarians tended to view the Boers as fellow agriculturalists whose way of life was being threatened by a stronger nation. Most Bulgarians believed that the British Empire, the adversary of the Boers, was to blame for the revision of the terms of the Treaty of San Stefano at the Congress of Berlin. Therefore, Bulgarians delighted in the British misfortunes in the South African War. This sentiment may explain why no volunteer from Bulgaria is known to have fought for the British in that war. Bulgarian volunteers, representing various social groups and occupations, took part in some of the major battles of the South African War. The involvement of these volunteers was an expression of the Bulgarian solidarity with the Boers. Investigating this phenomenon gives us a deeper understanding of the problems and aspirations of Bulgarians at the turn of the twentieth century.
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Tolstoy’s fiction is part of the cultural background of the South African intelligentsia. Moreover, generations of South Africans have been introduced to Tolstoy through screen adaptations of his fiction, including Hollywood blockbusters... more
Tolstoy’s fiction is part of the cultural background of the South African intelligentsia. Moreover, generations of South Africans have been introduced to Tolstoy through screen adaptations of his fiction, including Hollywood blockbusters and acclaimed TV series such as Anna Karenina (1935, 1948 and 2012) and War and Peace (1956 and 2016). Such exposure may well be the reason why, in the late 1990s, a survey among South African students of their perceptions of Russia showed that Tolstoy was the best-known Russian writer.
During his lifetime, Tolstoy’s work and personality were discussed extensively in Russia and abroad, including South Africa. He was one of the most influential and authoritative
writers in the world and remained the best-known Russian author in South Africa. Tolstoy was the only writer of Imperial Russia who, for decades, received letters and guests from South Africa. His statements on the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902 (also known as the South African War) attracted international attention which none of his Russian colleagues could match. Tolstoy wrote on South Africa, and his work was widely read there. Thanks to his erudition, ability to discern global trends, and interest in world culture and philosophy, Tolstoy had a profound understanding of political events in countries that he never visited and inspired leaders of liberation movements that he never met. His influence on South African realist literature can be traced throughout the twentieth century.
This study of Tolstoy’s and South Africans’ views of each other focuses on Afrikaners, because in the last ten years of his life the Russian author often wrote and spoke about them,
as is evident from his published works, correspondence and the archival material in the Tolstoy museums in Moscow and Yasnaya Polyana in Russia that were used for this paper. Furthermore, Afrikaner authors seem to have referred to Tolstoy’s work remarkably often. By exploring these references, one can ascertain why Tolstoy’s writing remained relevant to Afrikaners and other South Africans for more than a century. In the 1890s and 1900s, Tolstoy continued to develop his doctrine of not resisting evil with violence. He used information on the Anglo-Boer War to test his radical pacifist ideas. His protest against British imperialism in Africa echoed that of other world-famous humanist writers, such as Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Theodore Dreiser, Anatole France, Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw, Bertha von Suttner and Mark Twain. But, unlike most of them, Tolstoy refused to support the Boers unconditionally. He sympathised with the defenders of the Boer republics, but as a principled opponent of violence he condemned those Christian people for engaging in armed struggle and killing, which he regarded as a mortal sin.
During the transitional and guerrilla phases of the war, Tolstoy came to regard the continued Boer resistance to British invasion as a triumph of moral strength over immorality.
He viewed the South African military conflict in a global context, as a typical war of a new era. Reflecting on the news from South Africa, he concluded that such wars were characterised by immoral goals and methods of warfare, and by non-participation in hostilities by those who directly benefitted from the hostilities (big entrepreneurs manipulating the government). Tolstoy argued that European governments were not interested in eradicating militarism, but nonviolent protest by ordinary people could well put an end to war. However, Tolstoy believed Russians, unlike participants in mass pro-Boer campaigns, were not to concern themselves with such protest because instead their main tasks were moral self-improvement and tackling injustice in their homeland. His concern with affairs in South Africa was limited to the Anglo-Boer War and the Indian civil rights campaign of the 1900s led by Gandhi, whose doctrine of satyagraha was partly based on Tolstoy’s ethical teachings. Still, Tolstoy’s influence on Afrikaner culture has been evident for over a century. Apart from direct contact, such as visits and letters to the Russian writer, Afrikaner cultural figures promoted his work, translated his fiction into Afrikaans and published their translations in almost every decade up to the 1990s.
Along with other distinguished novelists of the late Imperial Russia, Tolstoy was viewed by Afrikaans authors as an exemplary realist writer who set standards that they aspired to but often regarded as unattainable. It only applied to his fiction, because Tolstoy’s confessional writings and philosophical treatises did not seem to be recognised by Afrikaans authors, especially not after the Second World War. For these authors, Tolstoy was primarily a fiction writer. Tolstoy’s work featured in South African literary debates with regard to resistance to abusive state authority and grappled with censorship. His fiction reminded South Africans of the humanist ideals that were meant to guide those who wanted to bring about positive change in an unjust, deeply divided society. Tolstoy’s work stimulated introspection and reflection on literary mastery, the ethical standards of a writer and one’s purpose in life.
During his lifetime, Tolstoy’s work and personality were discussed extensively in Russia and abroad, including South Africa. He was one of the most influential and authoritative
writers in the world and remained the best-known Russian author in South Africa. Tolstoy was the only writer of Imperial Russia who, for decades, received letters and guests from South Africa. His statements on the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902 (also known as the South African War) attracted international attention which none of his Russian colleagues could match. Tolstoy wrote on South Africa, and his work was widely read there. Thanks to his erudition, ability to discern global trends, and interest in world culture and philosophy, Tolstoy had a profound understanding of political events in countries that he never visited and inspired leaders of liberation movements that he never met. His influence on South African realist literature can be traced throughout the twentieth century.
This study of Tolstoy’s and South Africans’ views of each other focuses on Afrikaners, because in the last ten years of his life the Russian author often wrote and spoke about them,
as is evident from his published works, correspondence and the archival material in the Tolstoy museums in Moscow and Yasnaya Polyana in Russia that were used for this paper. Furthermore, Afrikaner authors seem to have referred to Tolstoy’s work remarkably often. By exploring these references, one can ascertain why Tolstoy’s writing remained relevant to Afrikaners and other South Africans for more than a century. In the 1890s and 1900s, Tolstoy continued to develop his doctrine of not resisting evil with violence. He used information on the Anglo-Boer War to test his radical pacifist ideas. His protest against British imperialism in Africa echoed that of other world-famous humanist writers, such as Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Theodore Dreiser, Anatole France, Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw, Bertha von Suttner and Mark Twain. But, unlike most of them, Tolstoy refused to support the Boers unconditionally. He sympathised with the defenders of the Boer republics, but as a principled opponent of violence he condemned those Christian people for engaging in armed struggle and killing, which he regarded as a mortal sin.
During the transitional and guerrilla phases of the war, Tolstoy came to regard the continued Boer resistance to British invasion as a triumph of moral strength over immorality.
He viewed the South African military conflict in a global context, as a typical war of a new era. Reflecting on the news from South Africa, he concluded that such wars were characterised by immoral goals and methods of warfare, and by non-participation in hostilities by those who directly benefitted from the hostilities (big entrepreneurs manipulating the government). Tolstoy argued that European governments were not interested in eradicating militarism, but nonviolent protest by ordinary people could well put an end to war. However, Tolstoy believed Russians, unlike participants in mass pro-Boer campaigns, were not to concern themselves with such protest because instead their main tasks were moral self-improvement and tackling injustice in their homeland. His concern with affairs in South Africa was limited to the Anglo-Boer War and the Indian civil rights campaign of the 1900s led by Gandhi, whose doctrine of satyagraha was partly based on Tolstoy’s ethical teachings. Still, Tolstoy’s influence on Afrikaner culture has been evident for over a century. Apart from direct contact, such as visits and letters to the Russian writer, Afrikaner cultural figures promoted his work, translated his fiction into Afrikaans and published their translations in almost every decade up to the 1990s.
Along with other distinguished novelists of the late Imperial Russia, Tolstoy was viewed by Afrikaans authors as an exemplary realist writer who set standards that they aspired to but often regarded as unattainable. It only applied to his fiction, because Tolstoy’s confessional writings and philosophical treatises did not seem to be recognised by Afrikaans authors, especially not after the Second World War. For these authors, Tolstoy was primarily a fiction writer. Tolstoy’s work featured in South African literary debates with regard to resistance to abusive state authority and grappled with censorship. His fiction reminded South Africans of the humanist ideals that were meant to guide those who wanted to bring about positive change in an unjust, deeply divided society. Tolstoy’s work stimulated introspection and reflection on literary mastery, the ethical standards of a writer and one’s purpose in life.
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Антиколониальные взгляды Л. Н. Толстого и их воздействие на освободительные движения в Африке
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Около 120 лет назад в Российской империи на волне общественного интереса к первому крупному вооруженному конфликту XX в., англо-бурской войне 1899-1902 гг., родилась народная песня «Трансваль, Трансваль, страна моя». Ее текст основан на... more
Около 120 лет назад в Российской империи на волне общественного интереса к первому крупному вооруженному конфликту XX в., англо-бурской войне 1899-1902 гг., родилась народная песня «Трансваль, Трансваль, страна моя». Ее текст основан на стихотворении петербургской поэтессы Г. Галиной. Песня о борьбе за свободу, которую вели жители далекой, преимущественно аграрной, как и тогдашняя Россия, страны, нашла отклик в русском обществе начала XX в. Его растущая политизация проявлялась, в том числе, в повышенном интересе россиян к противостоянию «крестьянских республик» (как отечественные публицисты называли Южно-Африканскую Республику и Оранжевое Свободное Государство) и Британской империи, стремившейся к экспансии в интересах крупного капитала. За один только 1900 г. в Российской империи вышли десятки специализированных и популярных книг и брошюр об этом конфликте на разных языках, а также сотни статей в газетах и популярных журналах. На эту войну откликнулись и русские литераторы. А песня о чужой войне на юге Африки на десятилетия закрепилась в русском фольклоре и массовой культуре в целом. Важная причина популярности «Трансваля» в Российской империи состоит в том, что эта песня давала возможность, в безопасной для певца и его слушателей форме, выразить надежду на общественно-политические перемены. Появление песни и рост ее популярности совпадает с распространением протестных настроений в российском обществе в 1900-1910-е гг. среди как городских, так и деревенских жителей. Песня переосмысливалась в процессе ее бытования: сочувствие к бурам, сражающимся против Британской империи, постепенно сменялось сочувствием к судьбе своих соотечественников. Русская народная песня, в которой отразились события в Южной Африки, побуждала жителей Российской империи задуматься об их собственных условиях жизни и о будущем родины.
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В начале 1901 г. в Российской империи произошло редкое и с нетерпением ожидавшееся событие. В крымский порт прибыли южноафриканцы, участники еще продолжавшейся англо-бурской войны. Это были Эрнст Гауснер (1871–1938), Пит Бота (1877–1901),... more
В начале 1901 г. в Российской империи произошло редкое и с нетерпением ожидавшееся событие. В крымский порт прибыли южноафриканцы, участники еще продолжавшейся англо-бурской войны. Это были Эрнст Гауснер (1871–1938), Пит Бота (1877–1901), Вилли Стейн (1875–1946), а также братья Джордж (1875–1939) и Лоуренс (1877–1945) Стейтлеры. Молодые буры вплавь выбрались из британского плена. Трансваальский президент П. Крюгер назвал их «пятеро пловцов», и под этим именем они вошли в историю. В России рассказывали о том, как у побережья Цейлона, куда буров привезли для размещения в лагере для военнопленных, отважная пятерка тайно покинула британский корабль и по воде добралась до российского парохода «Херсон». Русские моряки приняли беглецов на борт, отказались выдать их британским властям и доставили в Феодосию.
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Южноафриканская война взволновала представителей народничества. В отличие от марксистов, которые действовали преимущественно в городах, среди пролетариата, народники считали основной задачей организационную работу на селе, среди наиболее... more
Южноафриканская война взволновала представителей народничества. В отличие от марксистов, которые действовали преимущественно в городах, среди пролетариата, народники считали основной задачей организационную работу на селе, среди наиболее многочисленного сословия России. Убежденные, что социалистические принципы укоренены в крестьянском сознании и общинном быту, представители народничества видели в деревенских жителях опору будущего демократического строя. Освободительная борьба преимущественно аграрных бурских республик не оставила равнодушными как молодых народников, так и ветеранов движения.
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Среди почитателей литературного таланта и последователей религиозно-философского учения Л. Н. Толстого, посетивших его Москве и Ясной Поляне, были жители Африканского континента. Удалось выяснить имена и обстоятельства пребывания в России... more
Среди почитателей литературного таланта и последователей религиозно-философского учения Л. Н. Толстого, посетивших его Москве и Ясной Поляне, были жители Африканского континента. Удалось выяснить имена и обстоятельства пребывания в России двух посетителей Толстого, родившихся в Южной Африке. Во время англо- бурской войны 1899–1902 гг., когда Толстой и его домашние пристально следили за сопротивлением, оказываемым Трансваалем и Оранжевым Свободным Государством огромной Британской империей, в его доме в Хамовниках побывал Эдвард Молтено, сын премьер- министра Капской колонии. А в 1906 г. Ясную Поляну посетил ветеран этой войны, отставной артиллерийский офицер Г. С. дю Той, посвятивший себя распространению среди соотечественников передовых методов земледелия и рационального использования ресурсов в засушливых районах. Южноафриканским гостям запомнился теплый прием, оказанный писателем. Влияние идей Толстого прослеживается в их дальнейшей судьбе.
Research Interests: South African War (1899-1902), Tolstoy, Leo Tolstoy, Tolstoy as a religious thinker, Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, and 10 moreAnglo-Boer War, Tolstoy and eastern philosophy, Anglo Boer War, The Boer War, Boer War, Lev Tolstoy, Лев Толстой, Leo Tolstoy the Spiritual Leader, Лев Николаевич Толстой, and Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
Англо-бурская война 1899-1902 гг., один из важнейших вооруженных конфликтов эпохи империализма, вызвала отклик в России, в том числе в правящих кругах. Российское общественное мнение поддерживало борьбу за независимость бурских республик:... more
Англо-бурская война 1899-1902 гг., один из важнейших вооруженных конфликтов эпохи империализма, вызвала отклик в России, в том числе в правящих кругах. Российское общественное мнение поддерживало борьбу за независимость бурских республик: Трансвааля и Оранжевого Свободного Государства. Со своей стороны, правительства республик формировали у сограждан убеждение в том, что Российская империя как инициатор Гаагской мирной конференции и единственная великая держава, никогда не имевшая колоний в Африке, сможет объединить другие государства Европы и США, чтобы помочь бурам в противостоянии британскому империализму. К июню 1900 г. стало очевидно, что великие державы не предпримут военных действий в защиту южноафриканских республик. Более того, эти государства не смогли преодолеть свои геополитические противоречия, чтобы сообща предложить посредничество или добрые услуги воюющим сторонам. По поручению официальной бурской депутации, находившейся с визитом в США, трансваальский посланник передал внешнеполитическим ведомствам России и ее союзницы Франции просьбу о принятии совместного протектората над Трансваалем и Оранжевым Свободным Государством. Документальные свидетельства об этом демарше, до сих пор не получившем достаточного освещения в историографии, сохранились в архиве трансваальского посланника Лейдса, а также в Архиве внешней политики Российской империи. Обращаясь к России и Франции, бурские делегаты предполагали, что эти державы из соображений гуманности возьмут южноафриканские республики под дружественную опеку. Но правительства европейских государств трактовали протекторат как форму колониальной зависимости. Кроме того, Россия и Франция не желали военной конфронтации с могучей Британской империей ради далеких республик, не входивших в сферу их политических и колониальных интересов. Попытка представителей Трансвааля и Оранжевого Свободного Государства обеспечить для своих республик российско-французский протекторат была обречена на неудачу.
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The South African War of 1899–1902 (also known as the Anglo-Boer War) captured the attention of people of different countries – even those who had no colonial interests in Africa such as the Russian Empire. Pro-Boer movements even... more
The South African War of 1899–1902 (also known as the Anglo-Boer War) captured the attention of people of different countries – even those who had no colonial interests in Africa such as the Russian Empire. Pro-Boer movements even fascinated children and adolescents. While the motivations of adults in supporting such movements have been thoroughly explored, the political and ideological concerns that attracted adults were not as relevant to their younger compatriots.
The main aim of the study was to identify the factors which shaped their perceptions of a war fought on another continent and the belligerent parties by exploring children’s and adolescents’ diaries and art, memoirs and autobiographical works by Russians who sympathised with or took part in pro-Boer campaigns, and contemporary Russian publications for young audiences. The goal was to relate these representations, as well as the ideas of the society, culture and conflicts in southern Africa adopted or developed by young Russians, to their attitudes towards pro-Boer movements.
Their notions of southern Africa were rooted in colonial adventure novels, in which the Boers were usually protagonists. When the South African War broke out, the prevailing Anglophobia led children and adolescents to perceive the British as amoral antagonists of republican heroes. Another factor that drew young Russians to pro-Boer movements was the relative weakness of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The culturally important motif of a fight between the weak and the strong, the small and the big was easily discernible in contemporary Russian narratives of the South African War. With regards to the unequal confrontation in South Africa, children and adolescents identified themselves with the ‘small and weak’ but ‘morally superior’ Boers.
The main aim of the study was to identify the factors which shaped their perceptions of a war fought on another continent and the belligerent parties by exploring children’s and adolescents’ diaries and art, memoirs and autobiographical works by Russians who sympathised with or took part in pro-Boer campaigns, and contemporary Russian publications for young audiences. The goal was to relate these representations, as well as the ideas of the society, culture and conflicts in southern Africa adopted or developed by young Russians, to their attitudes towards pro-Boer movements.
Their notions of southern Africa were rooted in colonial adventure novels, in which the Boers were usually protagonists. When the South African War broke out, the prevailing Anglophobia led children and adolescents to perceive the British as amoral antagonists of republican heroes. Another factor that drew young Russians to pro-Boer movements was the relative weakness of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The culturally important motif of a fight between the weak and the strong, the small and the big was easily discernible in contemporary Russian narratives of the South African War. With regards to the unequal confrontation in South Africa, children and adolescents identified themselves with the ‘small and weak’ but ‘morally superior’ Boers.
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9 ноября 2022 г. в Институте Африки РАН состоялась международная научная конференция «Англо-бурская война 1899-1902 гг.: опыт и перспективы исследования». Конференция приурочена к 120-столетию завершения этой войны, первого крупного... more
9 ноября 2022 г. в Институте Африки РАН состоялась международная научная конференция «Англо-бурская война 1899-1902 гг.: опыт и перспективы исследования». Конференция приурочена к 120-столетию завершения этой войны, первого крупного вооруженного конфликта XX в. Организаторы стремились поддержать диалог между российскими и зарубежными историками. Около сотни собравшихся заслушали 17 докладов отечественных и южноафриканских исследователей. Обсуждались основные проблемы историографии англо-бурской войны в XX – начале XXI вв. Проанализирован опыт изучения англо-бурской войны в России и ЮАР, рассмотрено участие российских подданных в англо-бурской войне в контексте истории российского добровольчества, а также влияние опыта этой войны на последующие вооруженные конфликты.
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В 1925 г. на экраны США вышла крупнобюджетная романтическая комедия «Орел» (The Eagle) с участием Рудольфа Валентино. Сценарий основан на переработанном сюжете разбойничьего романа А.С. Пушкина «Дубровский». Фильм стал первой экранизацией... more
В 1925 г. на экраны США вышла крупнобюджетная романтическая комедия «Орел» (The Eagle) с участием Рудольфа Валентино. Сценарий основан на переработанном сюжете разбойничьего романа А.С. Пушкина «Дубровский». Фильм стал первой экранизацией произведения этого писателя в Голливуде. Обстоятельства и причины выбора малоизвестного для американских зрителей первоисточника нуждаются в прояснении. При рассмотрении этого фильма в широком историко-культурном контексте выявляется преемственность между этой лентой и первой зарубежной экранизацией «Дубровского», осуществленной русскими эмигрантами в Германии (1921). Связующим звеном между ними мог быть сценарист голливудского фильма, немецкий кинодраматург Ханс Кралы. Можно предполагать заимствование голливудской студией идеи экранизации «Дубровского» у русских кинематографистов. Возможно, американские кинематографисты обратили внимание на сюжет «Дубровского», благодаря знакомству с предыдущей киноверсией, в которой заглавную роль исполнил «русский Валентино», Осип Рунич.
Research Interests:
South Africa was among the few countries on the African continent where medical historians were often called on to reassure the public that the new pandemic could be contained and that lockdowns were bound to end. During the coronavirus... more
South Africa was among the few countries on the African continent where medical historians were often called on to reassure the public that the new pandemic could be contained and that lockdowns were bound to end. During the coronavirus pandemic, the role of South African medical historians has been to put historically informed perspectives on the virus outbreaks and their consequences.
For 750 days, South Africa remained in a national state of disaster because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The imposition of lockdown in 2020 increased hunger and poverty, deprived more South Africans of their income and access to education, placed a heavy burden on the healthcare and public health sector, sparked off protest and looting of shops, caused excessive use of violence by security forces and worsened the recession. The pandemic exacerbated the disparities in health, living conditions and access to professional medical services.
Epidemics affect all spheres of people’s lives and lead to noticeable social change. The study of epidemics puts the past in a different perspective by foregrounding historically important tendencies and processes. Therefore, the popular media in South Africa sought the opinion of the leading experts in this field, such as Howard Phillips, on the coronavirus disease throughout the state of disaster period.
The impact of the public scholarship by Phillips and his colleagues during the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa demonstrates that knowledge gained from historical research can help people to make sense of the present, which is crucial ‘in a time of plague’. That is, historical knowledge can be useful in solving today’s problems. Uncovering patterns of responses to epidemics by previous generations of South Africans throughout the centuries, medical historians helped the nation realise that it had already been in dangerous waters before, survived, recovered and might do it again.
For 750 days, South Africa remained in a national state of disaster because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The imposition of lockdown in 2020 increased hunger and poverty, deprived more South Africans of their income and access to education, placed a heavy burden on the healthcare and public health sector, sparked off protest and looting of shops, caused excessive use of violence by security forces and worsened the recession. The pandemic exacerbated the disparities in health, living conditions and access to professional medical services.
Epidemics affect all spheres of people’s lives and lead to noticeable social change. The study of epidemics puts the past in a different perspective by foregrounding historically important tendencies and processes. Therefore, the popular media in South Africa sought the opinion of the leading experts in this field, such as Howard Phillips, on the coronavirus disease throughout the state of disaster period.
The impact of the public scholarship by Phillips and his colleagues during the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa demonstrates that knowledge gained from historical research can help people to make sense of the present, which is crucial ‘in a time of plague’. That is, historical knowledge can be useful in solving today’s problems. Uncovering patterns of responses to epidemics by previous generations of South Africans throughout the centuries, medical historians helped the nation realise that it had already been in dangerous waters before, survived, recovered and might do it again.
Research Interests:
По мнению южноафриканского фольклориста Питера Виллема Гроббелаара, до середины XX века Аньки Сомерс (Antjie Somers) был «самым разносторонним персонажем» в фольклоре носителей языка африкаанс. В легендах, историях для взрослых, это... more
По мнению южноафриканского фольклориста Питера Виллема Гроббелаара, до середины XX века Аньки Сомерс (Antjie Somers) был «самым разносторонним персонажем» в фольклоре носителей языка африкаанс. В легендах, историях для взрослых, это городской призрак, дух горы или реки, а впоследствии — разбойник с большой дороги. В сказках это коварный и жестокий похититель детей. В большинстве дошедших до нас историй об Аньки Сомерс присутствует гендерная неопределенность. Из-за нее жертве сложно разгадать замысел злоумышленника, и персонаж становится загадочным и пугающим. Несмотря на женский облик Аньки Сомерс, шокирующая жестокость по отношению к детям указывала на отсутствие материнского инстинкта, а значит для слушателей этот персонаж не мог быть женщиной. В поведении Аньки Сомерс преобладают черты, свойственные в большей степени мужчинам, чем женщинам: агрессия и готовность прибегнуть к насилию. И все же гендерная неопределенность второстепенна. Истории об Аньки Сомерс иллюстрируют важное правило безопасности: если люди жестоко злоупотребляют вашим доверием, они могут жестоко обойтись и с вами самими.
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Theodore Konovaloff's memoir is regarded as one of the most important written sources of the history of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, even though the Colonel himself has acquired an ambiguous reputation. Soon ater the Italian occupation... more
Theodore Konovaloff's memoir is regarded as one of the most important written sources of the history of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, even though the Colonel himself has acquired an ambiguous reputation. Soon ater the Italian occupation of Addis Abeba, a 'garbled and tendentious' version of the memoir was published in Italy and became an importnant tool of fascist propaganda. However, after the liberation of Ethiopia, Konovaloff wrote abother account of the war. It is the only surviving manuscript of Konovaloff's memoir produced by him personally, and it is the evidence of his empathy with Ethiopia and her people.
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Рецензия на книгу: Шубин В. Г. От Каира до Кейптауна. Африка глазами русского человека. М.: Институт Африки РАН, 2022.
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Antjie Somers was described as a town ghost, a mountain or river spirit, a legendary highway robber or a child snatcher in South Africa. Over a hundred years ago, Antjie was already a bogey of children of various ethnic backgrounds. This... more
Antjie Somers was described as a town ghost, a mountain or river spirit, a legendary highway robber or a child snatcher in South Africa. Over a hundred years ago, Antjie was already a bogey of children of various ethnic backgrounds. This villain was said to be spotted from Cape Town up to the Olifants River Valley in the north, across southern parts of the Karoo, and up to Port Elizabeth in the east. Bogeys are usually described and imagined as either masculine or feminine. Antjie, on the other hand, is one of the few bogeys in the world that are portrayed as gender ambiguous. Although the character’s name and clothes are feminine, the oral tradition endowed Antjie with uncannily masculine features, such as long feet, wide shoulders, thick hands and facial hair. That is why some storytellers believed that Antjie was a male cross-dresser or even genderfluid, shifting between masculine and feminine at will. I explore the origins of this character in the stories and legends of other peoples, such as Khoisan, Dutch or Indonesian.
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Reading on the immigration of Russian Jews to South Africa, you may conclude that the Russian officialdom disclaimed all responsibility for Russian Jewish emigrants once they crossed border. But the ministerial correspondence preserved in... more
Reading on the immigration of Russian Jews to South Africa, you may conclude that the Russian officialdom disclaimed all responsibility for Russian Jewish emigrants once they crossed border. But the ministerial correspondence preserved in the Russian and the British archives tells a different story. Although the Russian government viewed the Jewish population as a burden rather than an asset, Russian diplomats tried to help Russian countrymen in South Africa. They often succeeded despite the fact that a Russian-speaking consul worked there for less than a year. In this article, I focus on a critical period for Russian Jews in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State when they badly needed support from the Russian government.
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The Swellengrebel family is known in South Africa in connection with Hendrik Swellengrebel, the only local-born governor of the Cape Colony. Using Russian and Dutch archival sources as well as comprehensive studies of the Dutch merchant... more
The Swellengrebel family is known in South Africa in connection with Hendrik Swellengrebel, the only local-born governor of the Cape Colony. Using Russian and Dutch archival sources as well as comprehensive studies of the Dutch merchant communities in the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Moscow and Archangel, we traced the transformation of this family from Pomeranian clothiers into leading Russian arms importers and Cape agriculturalists. The earliest-known correspondence between residents of Russia and the Cape, the letters from Heinrich Swellengrebel in Moscow to his son in Cape Town, was also studied. We established that the Amsterdam burgomaster and friend of Peter I, Nicolaes Witsen, was a patron of Johannes Swellengrebel, a native of Russia and the first Swellengrebel who settled at the Cape. Having achieved a high social status in Russia and at the Cape, members of Swellengrebel family gravitated towards Western Europe, their ancestral homeland. The history of this family reveals “the hidden thread” of human interaction that connected Russia with southern Africa long before the establishment of formal trade and political relations.
Research Interests: Social Identity, South Africa (History), Patronage (History), Social Mobility, South African history, and 11 moreDutch East India Company, Southern African History, Cape Colony, 18th Century Cape of Good Hope, Cape of Good Hope, Russian-Dutch relations, Cape Colony history, Nicolaes Witsen (1641-1717), Cape Dutch, Cultural and literary history of the Cape of Good Hope, and Nicolaas Witsen
Внучка А. С. Пушкина Елена Александровна Розенмайер известна главным образом благодаря своим заявлениям о том, что у нее хранился неизвестный исследователям дневник Пушкина. В 1923 году, проживая в Турции, она предлагала пушкинистам А. Ф.... more
Внучка А. С. Пушкина Елена Александровна Розенмайер известна главным образом благодаря своим заявлениям о том, что у нее хранился неизвестный исследователям дневник Пушкина. В 1923 году, проживая в Турции, она предлагала пушкинистам А. Ф. Онегину и М. Л. Гофману купить у нее личные вещи поэта и его жены, а также «одолжить» ей деньги для поездки в Южную Африку в обмен на право ознакомиться с этой рукописью. В письмах из Константинополя Розенмайер сообщала Онегину и Гофману, что собирается переехать в Южную Африку, в имение «близ города Минзенбурга», где ее мужу была обещана должность. После прекращения переписки с Онегиным и Гофманом Елена Александровна на несколько лет исчезла из поля зрения пушкинистов. Публикации Гофмана в эмигрантской прессе, а также его письма к родным и коллегам на родине поддерживали интерес к ее личности и местонахождению. Оставалось неясным, ездила ли семья Елены Александровны в Южную Африку и кто мог ждать ее там. Решить эту загадку помогло обобщение всех известных материалов об отъезде и пребывании Елены Александровны на юге Африки, а также изучение биографических исследований, посвященных семье Анастасии Михайловны и предполагаемому работодателю Н. А. Розенмайера в Южной Африке. Кроме того, в исследовании были использованы материалы Государственного архива ЮАР, обработанные и любезно предоставленные его сотрудником Густавом Хендричем.
Research Interests:
Изучение более 300 информационно-аналитических статей, опубликованных в популярных и научных изданиях в ЮАР за 2016–2021 гг., показывает, что для южноафриканских журналистов и политологов характерен скептицизм по отношению к крупным... more
Изучение более 300 информационно-аналитических статей, опубликованных в популярных и научных изданиях в ЮАР за 2016–2021 гг., показывает, что для южноафриканских журналистов и политологов характерен скептицизм по отношению к крупным экономическим проектам с участием российских госкомпаний. В то же время сотрудничество российских негосударственных компаний с южноафриканскими партнерами обычно не вызывает возражений у обозревателей в ЮАР. Южноафриканцы приветствуют совместные предприятия с российским участием, которые создают рабочие места и способствуют импортозамещению. Многие южноафриканцы видят в России альтернативу западному влиянию и одобряют экономическое сотрудничество между нашими странами.
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The establishment of an international legion by General Georges de Villebois-Mareuil in March 1900 was the most ambitious attempt to coordinate the activities of foreign volunteer units within a single formation during the South African... more
The establishment of an international legion by General Georges de Villebois-Mareuil in March 1900 was the most ambitious attempt to coordinate the activities of foreign volunteer units within a single formation during the South African War. On the general’s death (5 April 1900), De Villebois’s Russian deputy and successor, Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Maximov, lost control of the legion. As a hierarchical formation, it survived De Villebois by only two weeks. Given Maximov’s ample experience in conventional and unconventional warfare, and the accolades that he later won from the republican political and military leadership, including the rank of general, the legionnaires’ opposition to him appears to be unjustified. Accounting for the discrepancy between historians’ perceptions of Maximov and his lack of success in controlling the legion is based on a premise that legionnaires had compelling reasons to reject his authority. Maximov had come to Africa ostensibly as a journalist. He was yet to earn the respect of his subordinates because he had not seen action in the South African War. In subsequent weeks, having resigned from his post in the legion, he distinguished himself in the engagement at Tobaberg as the leader of the Dutch corps. By then, Maximov had the ‘moral authority’ to command an international unit, but his poor health prevented him from carrying on fighting. Unlike De Villebois, who was supported by like-minded French lieutenants, Maximov could not rely on his compatriots. Instead of endorsing his claim to leadership, the Russian corps refused to join the legion while he was in charge, and intentionally discredited him. In the power vacuum after De Villebois’s death, the legion collapsed, and a chance to transform the emerging alliance of foreign volunteer units into a formidable force was missed.
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В последние годы Россия впервые стремится заявить о себе как о важном экономическом партнере Южной Африки. Россия сталкивается с «имиджевыми» проблемами, которые затрудняют экономическое взаимодействие с ЮАР. Образ России в массовом... more
В последние годы Россия впервые стремится заявить о себе как о важном экономическом партнере Южной Африки. Россия сталкивается с «имиджевыми» проблемами, которые затрудняют экономическое взаимодействие с ЮАР. Образ России в массовом сознании южноафриканцев формируется, прежде всего, местными журналистами, политиками и общественными деятелями. Но в ЮАР нет популярных изданий и сайтов, которые последовательно поддерживали ли бы межгосударственные усилия по укреплению торгово-экономического взаимодействия с Россией.
Южноафриканцы рассматривают российские инициативы как альтернативу западному и китайскому влиянию на местную экономику. В южноафриканском массовом сознании уважение к западным ценностям, достижениям и культуре сочетаются с неприятием западной внешнеполитической и экономической гегемонии. Таким образом, южноафриканцы рассматривают Россию как противовес Западу, но не как замену ему.
По-видимому, большинство южноафриканцев считают желательным экономическое сотрудничество с Россией. Но память о неудачных попытках взаимодействия с российскими госкомпаниями заставляет южноафриканскую общественность настороженно относиться к крупным межгосударственным проектам.
Опыт российских частных компаний показывает, что эффективное сотрудничество с Южной Африкой возможно, если россияне готовы работать там долго и планомерно, адаптироваться к местным условиям и учитывать серьезную конкуренцию, в т.ч. со стороны западных и китайских фирм.
Южноафриканцы рассматривают российские инициативы как альтернативу западному и китайскому влиянию на местную экономику. В южноафриканском массовом сознании уважение к западным ценностям, достижениям и культуре сочетаются с неприятием западной внешнеполитической и экономической гегемонии. Таким образом, южноафриканцы рассматривают Россию как противовес Западу, но не как замену ему.
По-видимому, большинство южноафриканцев считают желательным экономическое сотрудничество с Россией. Но память о неудачных попытках взаимодействия с российскими госкомпаниями заставляет южноафриканскую общественность настороженно относиться к крупным межгосударственным проектам.
Опыт российских частных компаний показывает, что эффективное сотрудничество с Южной Африкой возможно, если россияне готовы работать там долго и планомерно, адаптироваться к местным условиям и учитывать серьезную конкуренцию, в т.ч. со стороны западных и китайских фирм.
Research Interests:
Первой гоголевской экранизацией за рубежом стал фильм «Тарас Бульба», созданный эмигрантской студией Ермольева в Германии и выпущенный на экраны в 1924 году. Более того, это была первая в истории полнометражная экранизация гоголевской... more
Первой гоголевской экранизацией за рубежом стал фильм «Тарас Бульба», созданный эмигрантской студией Ермольева в Германии и выпущенный на экраны в 1924 году. Более того, это была первая в истории полнометражная экранизация гоголевской повести; первый крупнобюджетный фильм, созданный зарубежной русской студией на русский сюжет; один из первых отечественных «ответов Голливуду» и один из первых полнометражных крупнобюджетных фильмов о казаках, стимулировавший интерес к этой теме у зарубежных кинематографистов. «Тарас Бульба» студии Ермольева задумывался как конкурент популярных европейских и американских лент, с огромным, по меркам тогдашнего германского кино, бюджетом. Создатели фильма надеялись привлечь кинозрителей как на Западе, так и в Советском Союзе сюжетом на основе классического произведения русской литературы, сохранив историческую и художественную достоверность изображаемых событий.
Research Interests:
Antjie Somers, described as a cross-dressing man or a haggish woman with masculine and animalistic traits, was a bogey of South African children in the 19th–20th centuries. It is one of the few bogeys in the world that is portrayed as... more
Antjie Somers, described as a cross-dressing man or a haggish woman with masculine and animalistic traits, was a bogey of South African children in the 19th–20th centuries. It is one of the few bogeys in the world that is portrayed as gender ambiguous. Given the current interest in ambiguities of gender identity and expression, the emergence of Antjie Somers as a popular and influential folklore character may be viewed in the context of transgression of cultural boundaries and its consequences. The child snatcher tales of Antjie Somers evolved from Cape ghost and robber legends as well as from European legends
of the “Test of Sex: Catching an Apple” and the “Hairy-Armed Hitchhiker”
types. They involve a male robber who uses female disguise to conceal his evil intentions and to lure his intended victims. Such tales employ a motif that the Khoisan and the European traditions seem to share: if children are neglected, someone childless can steal them. In Khoisan tales, the thief is a baboon who wants to bring the human child up as if it were a monkey. In European tales, it is an ogre or a hag who envies those who have and can bear children. Antjie Somers stories do not seem to demonise gender transgression. Cross-dressing is a means to the character’s criminal ends rather than a demonstration of his gender self-attribution. The gender ambiguity appears to be peripheral to the main lesson of Antjie Somers narratives: if people abuse your trust, they can
abuse you.
of the “Test of Sex: Catching an Apple” and the “Hairy-Armed Hitchhiker”
types. They involve a male robber who uses female disguise to conceal his evil intentions and to lure his intended victims. Such tales employ a motif that the Khoisan and the European traditions seem to share: if children are neglected, someone childless can steal them. In Khoisan tales, the thief is a baboon who wants to bring the human child up as if it were a monkey. In European tales, it is an ogre or a hag who envies those who have and can bear children. Antjie Somers stories do not seem to demonise gender transgression. Cross-dressing is a means to the character’s criminal ends rather than a demonstration of his gender self-attribution. The gender ambiguity appears to be peripheral to the main lesson of Antjie Somers narratives: if people abuse your trust, they can
abuse you.
Research Interests:
Впервые публикуются записки правнучатого племянника Л.Н. Толстого о Нижнем Новгороде 1900 – 1914 гг. Вновь обнаруженные воспоминания были написаны в ЮАР, куда автор, Николай Львович Краснокутский, эмигрировал после Второй мировой войны.... more
Впервые публикуются записки правнучатого племянника Л.Н. Толстого о Нижнем Новгороде 1900 – 1914 гг. Вновь обнаруженные воспоминания были написаны в ЮАР, куда автор, Николай Львович Краснокутский, эмигрировал после Второй мировой войны. Они содержат сведения о быте нижегородцев начала XX в. и работе Нижегородской ярмарки, а также малоизвестные факты о А.М. Пешкове, А.Б. Мариенгофе и выдающихся купеческих династиях города. Текст воспоминаний предваряется биографическим очерком семьи Краснокутских и сопровождается историко-биографическими комментариями.
Research Interests:
Allan Bowe spent nearly half his life in Russia: first as an employee of Shanks & Bolin, then as a partner of Carl Fabergé and, eventually, as an independent trader in gemstones. Bowe assisted Fabergé to develop the House of Fabergé into... more
Allan Bowe spent nearly half his life in Russia: first as an employee of Shanks & Bolin, then as a partner of Carl Fabergé and, eventually, as an independent trader in gemstones. Bowe assisted Fabergé to develop the House of Fabergé into the leading firm specialising in jewellery and silverware in Russia. As an equal partner, and efficient and progressive manager, Allan Bowe aided Carl Fabergé in establishing the largest jewellery and silverware factory in the country and oversaw the production in Moscow. Bowe also helped to open foreign markets for the company by setting up the London branch to channel the Fabergé exports.
Unlike Carl Fabergé, Bowe did not set himself lofty aims, such as advancement of Russian jewellery art. From artistic direction to development of business strategies, Fabergé’s contribution to their joint business , was far more significant than Bowe’s. Nevertheless, the commercial success of the House of Fabergé in Russia and abroad from the 1880s to the 1900s should also be attributed to the business acumen of his partner, South African-born immigrant Allan Bowe.
Unlike Carl Fabergé, Bowe did not set himself lofty aims, such as advancement of Russian jewellery art. From artistic direction to development of business strategies, Fabergé’s contribution to their joint business , was far more significant than Bowe’s. Nevertheless, the commercial success of the House of Fabergé in Russia and abroad from the 1880s to the 1900s should also be attributed to the business acumen of his partner, South African-born immigrant Allan Bowe.
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Boris Gorelik relates the sobering story of Joseph Glazer, a South African Jew whose idealistic belief in a Communist ‘new dawn’ culminated instead in his imprisonment instead in a Soviet gulag. Idealism, disillusionment and survival -... more
Boris Gorelik relates the sobering story of Joseph Glazer, a South African Jew whose idealistic belief in a Communist ‘new dawn’ culminated instead in his imprisonment instead in a Soviet gulag. Idealism, disillusionment and survival - for Joseph Glazer, moving from South Africa to Stalin's Soviet Union was an adventure that quickly became a nightmare.
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The Swellengrebels were the most important family at the Cape under Dutch East India Company (VOC) rule to become members of the Netherlands governing elite. Hendrik Swellengrebel was the colony's only locally-born governor, while his... more
The Swellengrebels were the most important family at the Cape under Dutch East India Company (VOC) rule to become members of the Netherlands governing elite. Hendrik Swellengrebel was the colony's only locally-born governor, while his father and other members of the family at the Cape were born in Russia. Their migration between Europe, Africa and Asia reflected the development and functioning of the Dutch trade and patrimonial networks. Even on the periphery, at the Cape and among Dutch expatriates in Russia, those networks provided opportunities for overseas employment and upward social mobility. The case of the Swellengrebels shows that not only goods but also people could make their way from Russia to the Cape and the VOC Asia. Patronage enabled both spatial and upward social mobility. Keeping mutually beneficial relations with influential patrons such as Nicolaes Witsen, members of the Swellengrebel family navigated their way within the Dutch trade networks and achieved prosperity and a high status in such culturally diverse societies as Russia and the Cape. The social advancement, identity transformations and transcontinental migrations of the Swellengrebel family demonstrate the materiality of transcontinental patrimonial networks in the early modern period.
Full text: http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0018-229X2021000100003&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en
Full text: http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0018-229X2021000100003&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en
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Могла ли главная героиня фильма «Раба любви» Вознесенская (Е. Соловей) предпочесть Максакову (Ю. Богатырев) и Потоцкому (Р. Нахапетов) другого мужчину? Например актера Канина (Е. Стеблов), с которым в Одессе 1918 года ей приходится... more
Могла ли главная героиня фильма «Раба любви» Вознесенская (Е. Соловей) предпочесть Максакову (Ю. Богатырев) и Потоцкому (Р. Нахапетов) другого мужчину? Например актера Канина (Е. Стеблов), с которым в Одессе 1918 года ей приходится сниматься в отсутствие прежнего партнера. Красавец-брюнет, элегантен во фраке и чалме, хотя обделен талантом, да и тенорок у него совсем не героический… Не верится, что «королева экрана» могла влюбиться в него. Впрочем, в жизни подобное было возможно. Сценарий фильма «Раба любви» создан по мотивам реальных событий. Это интерпретация судьбы ярчайшей звезды раннего русского кино Веры Холодной, и у многих персонажей несколько прототипов. По-видимому, одним из прообразов Канина был Осип Рунич, последний экранный партнер Холодной в Одессе.
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Despite the enduring international popularity of the Zulu Christian chorus “Siyahamba” as a song of protest and praise, South African ethnomusicologists have not yet investigated its origins as well as its cultural and political... more
Despite the enduring international popularity of the Zulu Christian chorus “Siyahamba” as a song of protest and praise, South African ethnomusicologists have not yet investigated its origins as well as its cultural and political significance. This article reports the results of an historical study which indicated that the earliest documented performance of the chorus took place in Dundee in the current uMzinyathi district of the former Natal province (now KwaZulu-Natal or KZN), South Africa, in 1952. No earlier publications or handwritten records of its score or lyrics have been found. However, it appears that this musical work has a longer undocumented history, connected to rural Methodist or Pentecostalist communities of the province. It originated in a church environment as a devotional chorus and grew to be closely associated with the anti-apartheid movement after it was adopted by the international campaign against the racist regime from the mid-1980s. “Siyahamba” has been perceived both locally and internationally as a popular song of praise with a strong political significance thanks to the popular songbook Freedom Is Coming by Anders Nyberg, the Swedish-South African composer and choral conductor, who made the earliest known field recording of the chorus, and dozens of influential hymnals that include “Siyahamba”. Chanted at rallies and public events, the historic South African tune continues to encourage campaigners for change worldwide.
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Переход О. И. Рунича, звезды раннего русского кино и видного деятеля русского кинематографа в зарубежье, на еврейскую сцену, а затем в южноафриканскую оперу и в драматический театр на языке африкаанс может показаться нелогичным. В данной... more
Переход О. И. Рунича, звезды раннего русского кино и видного деятеля русского кинематографа в зарубежье, на еврейскую сцену, а затем в южноафриканскую оперу и в драматический театр на языке африкаанс может показаться нелогичным. В данной статье он рассматривается как пример нестандартной адаптации русского эмигранта, обеспечивший его профессиональное долголетие и создавший предпосылки для интеграции в принимающее общество. В продолжение разысканий Р. М. Янгирова (ДРЗ) впервые в историографии выявлен и охарактеризован вклад Рунича в театральное искусство Латвии и Южной Африки. Статья подготовлена по результатам многолетних исследований автора в архивах и библиотеках России и Южной Африки, а также проиллюстрирована фотоматериалами из южноафриканской прессы, которые воспроизводятся впервые с 1940-х гг.
Творческий путь Осипа Рунича как пример нестандартной стратегии адаптации эмигранта // Ежегодник Дома русского зарубежья имени Александра Солженицына, 2020. М.: Дом русского зарубежья имени Александра Солженицына, 2020. С. 203–220. (ISSN 2313-7517)
The transition of Ossip Runich, a star of early Russian cinema and of Russian émigré productions in Italy and Germany, to the Jewish stage and, later, to South African opera and Afrikaans theatre may appear illogical. In this article, it is regarded as a case of non-standard adaptation of a Russian emigrant, which ensured his professional longevity and enabled his integration into the host society. In continuation of research by R.M. Yangirov (Solzhenitsyn Centre for Russian Émigré Studies), Runich's contribution to the theatre of Latvia and South Africa has been identified and characterised for the first time in historiography. The article is based on the results of many years of research by the author in archives and libraries of Russia and South Africa. The photographs from South African newspapers are being reproduced for the first time since the 1940s.
‘The career of the actor Ossip Runitch: an unconventional adaptation strategy of a Russian émigré’ (Tvorcheskiy pout Ossipa Runitcha kak primer nestandartnoy strategii adaptatsii emigranta), Annual of the Solzhenitsyn Centre for Russian Émigré Studies, 2020, pp 203–220. (ISSN 2313-7517)
Творческий путь Осипа Рунича как пример нестандартной стратегии адаптации эмигранта // Ежегодник Дома русского зарубежья имени Александра Солженицына, 2020. М.: Дом русского зарубежья имени Александра Солженицына, 2020. С. 203–220. (ISSN 2313-7517)
The transition of Ossip Runich, a star of early Russian cinema and of Russian émigré productions in Italy and Germany, to the Jewish stage and, later, to South African opera and Afrikaans theatre may appear illogical. In this article, it is regarded as a case of non-standard adaptation of a Russian emigrant, which ensured his professional longevity and enabled his integration into the host society. In continuation of research by R.M. Yangirov (Solzhenitsyn Centre for Russian Émigré Studies), Runich's contribution to the theatre of Latvia and South Africa has been identified and characterised for the first time in historiography. The article is based on the results of many years of research by the author in archives and libraries of Russia and South Africa. The photographs from South African newspapers are being reproduced for the first time since the 1940s.
‘The career of the actor Ossip Runitch: an unconventional adaptation strategy of a Russian émigré’ (Tvorcheskiy pout Ossipa Runitcha kak primer nestandartnoy strategii adaptatsii emigranta), Annual of the Solzhenitsyn Centre for Russian Émigré Studies, 2020, pp 203–220. (ISSN 2313-7517)
Research Interests:
An analysis of data from various sources, both Russian and international, helps to evaluate the contribution of the Russian corps to the republican cause and to understand the ambiguities of its brief existence. Despite the founders’... more
An analysis of data from various sources, both Russian and international, helps to evaluate the contribution of the Russian corps to the republican cause and to understand the ambiguities of its brief existence. Despite the founders’ intentions, the unit failed to ‘set an example of proper organisation for the Boers’. Yet the Russian corps was not an embarrassment but a missed opportunity.
‘The Russian corps in the Anglo-Boer War: two months of misfortune’, Military History Journal (South African Military History Society), 2020, vol 19, no 1, pp 10–17 (ISSN 0026-4016).
"Русский отряд на англо-бурской войне: два злополучных месяца".
‘The Russian corps in the Anglo-Boer War: two months of misfortune’, Military History Journal (South African Military History Society), 2020, vol 19, no 1, pp 10–17 (ISSN 0026-4016).
"Русский отряд на англо-бурской войне: два злополучных месяца".
Research Interests: South Africa (History), South African War (1899-1902), South African history, South Africa, Southern African History, and 15 moreAnglo-Boer War 1899-1902, War Volunteering, South African military history, Anglo-Boer War, Names of Heroes and Heroines of Anglo-Boer War and Their Families, Anglo Boer War, International war volunteers, The Boer War, Boer War, Second Boer War, Anglo-boereoorlog, History of Boer War 1899-1902, Russians in South Africa, Russian-South African contacts, and Anglo-Boer wars
Русскоязычные евреи составляют небольшую и малозаметную часть еврейского населения Южно-Африканской Республики. В отличие от Израиля, Германии или США, Южная Африка не столкнулась с феноменом массовой иммиграции советских и постсоветских... more
Русскоязычные евреи составляют небольшую и малозаметную часть еврейского населения Южно-Африканской Республики. В отличие от Израиля, Германии или США, Южная Африка не столкнулась с феноменом массовой иммиграции советских и постсоветских евреев. Евреи из бывшего СССР не создали в ЮАР свои общины и не играют заметной роли в существующих. Они часто дистанцируются от еврейской жизни, не демонстрируя приверженности сионизму и иудаизму, которая характерна для их южноафриканских соплеменников. Тем не менее, одно время южноафриканские еврейские организации надеялись, что русскоязычные собратья пополнят местные общины и придадут новый импульс их деятельности, как вдохнули новую жизнь в южноафриканское еврейство литваки, переселявшиеся на юг Африки в 1880 — 1920-е годы. Ожидания эти были связаны с активизацией еврейской эмиграции из СССР и одновременным ростом эмиграции евреев из ЮАР
Research Interests:
Having studied the available printed, visual, and verbal sources from Russia, South Africa, the USA, and Germany, we have identified and reviewed in the article the facts of face-to-face and correspondence communication between V. P.... more
Having studied the available printed, visual, and verbal sources from Russia, South Africa, the USA, and Germany, we have identified and reviewed in the article the facts of face-to-face and correspondence communication between V. P. Demikhov, the "father" of experimental heart transplantation (Moscow, USSR), and C. N. Barnard, a pioneer of clinical heart transplantation (Cape Town, South Africa). We have shown that C.N. Barnard mastered the heart surgery techniques, including those under conditions of artificial circulation, in the USA in 1956-1958, and later improved them in his homeland both in clinic (heart surgery for cardiac defects), and in the experiment (heart transplantation). The main events preceding the first world human heart transplant performed by C.N. Barnard on December 3, 1967, were his trip to the United States in August 1967 to study immunosuppression techniques, and the kidney transplantation he had performed in Cape Town in September, 1967.
Prior to that time, C.N. Barnard had visited the USSR only once, in May 1960, as a delegate to the XXVII All-Union Congress of Surgeons. In the Soviet Union, he visited a number of clinics dealing with heart surgery and tissue and organ transplantation, including the N.V. Sklifosovsky Institute for Emergency Medicine, where he met V.P. Demikhov, but C.N.
Barnard could neither talk to him personally, nor watch his operations. In December 1967, V.P. Demikhov spoke with C.N. Barnard on the phone, but the conversation was highly professional. This paper has shown different approaches of V.P. Demikhov and C.N. Barnard to the transplantation problem: the Soviet surgeon paid more attention to the transplantation technique, meanwhile, the South African surgeon considered the solution of immunological problems to be the basis of success. Nevertheless, C.N. Barnard knew about V.P. Demikhov's
scientific achievements and used some of them in his surgical practice.
The authors have substantiated the interaction between V.P. Demikhov and C.N. Barnard as between an ideological mentor and a student (in a broad sense) rather than as a teacher and a student (in a narrow sense).
Therefore, in a broad, philosophical sense, the Soviet surgeon can be considered one of the inspirers of the world's first heart transplantation, which, in turn, proved that his ascetic work was not in vain.
Prior to that time, C.N. Barnard had visited the USSR only once, in May 1960, as a delegate to the XXVII All-Union Congress of Surgeons. In the Soviet Union, he visited a number of clinics dealing with heart surgery and tissue and organ transplantation, including the N.V. Sklifosovsky Institute for Emergency Medicine, where he met V.P. Demikhov, but C.N.
Barnard could neither talk to him personally, nor watch his operations. In December 1967, V.P. Demikhov spoke with C.N. Barnard on the phone, but the conversation was highly professional. This paper has shown different approaches of V.P. Demikhov and C.N. Barnard to the transplantation problem: the Soviet surgeon paid more attention to the transplantation technique, meanwhile, the South African surgeon considered the solution of immunological problems to be the basis of success. Nevertheless, C.N. Barnard knew about V.P. Demikhov's
scientific achievements and used some of them in his surgical practice.
The authors have substantiated the interaction between V.P. Demikhov and C.N. Barnard as between an ideological mentor and a student (in a broad sense) rather than as a teacher and a student (in a narrow sense).
Therefore, in a broad, philosophical sense, the Soviet surgeon can be considered one of the inspirers of the world's first heart transplantation, which, in turn, proved that his ascetic work was not in vain.
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Die regering besef nie dat hul onwilligheid om Afrikaners se kulturele erfenis te help bewaar uiteindelik die breë SuidAfrikaanse gemeenskap óók verarm nie, skryf Boris Gorelik.
Rapport, 14 November 2010.
Rapport, 14 November 2010.
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Впервые публикуются записки правнучатого племянника Л. Н. Толстого, Николая Львовича Краснокутского, о встречах с писателем и посещении Ясной Поляны в 1907–1917 гг. Эти воспоминания, хранящиеся в Бахметевском архиве Колумбийского... more
Впервые публикуются записки правнучатого племянника Л. Н. Толстого, Николая Львовича Краснокутского, о встречах с писателем и посещении Ясной Поляны в 1907–1917 гг. Эти воспоминания, хранящиеся в Бахметевском архиве Колумбийского университета (США), до сих пор не были известны исследователям жизни и творчества Толстого. Н. Л. Краснокутский, проживавший в Южной Африке и подготовивший записки по просьбе руководства Бахметевского архива в 1963 г., подробно описывает быт жителей усадеб в Ясной Поляне и Никольском- Вяземском. Воспоминания предваряются биографическим очерком семьи Краснокутских, состоявшей в родстве с Толстыми и Нагорновыми. Особое внимание уделяется потомкам нижегородского нотариуса Л. Н. Краснокутского, женатого на дочери племянницы писателя, В. В. Нагорновой. Текст воспоминаний сопровождается историко- биографическими комментариями.
Research Interests:
В публикациях последнего десятилетия, посвященных биографии Валерия Брюсова, указывается на необходимость продолжить разыскания, чтобы вы-яснить судьбу героини 14-го сонета «Рокового ряда» М.В. Вульфарт. Ее поэтический образ также... more
В публикациях последнего десятилетия, посвященных биографии Валерия Брюсова, указывается на необходимость продолжить разыскания, чтобы вы-яснить судьбу героини 14-го сонета «Рокового ряда» М.В. Вульфарт. Ее поэтический образ также постоянно присутствует в любовной лирике Брюсова 1914–1915 гг., того периода, когда поэт и его подруга были особенно близки. История взаимоотношений Брюсова и М.В. Вульфарт уже исследована, прежде всего, по материалам его архива, но до сих пор не получалось проследить ее судьбу после расставания с Брюсовым. Сде-лать это удалось при работе над данной статьей, за счет использования впервые вво-димых в оборот источников из других архивов (в России и ЮАР), генеалогических баз данных, а также интервью с родственниками Вульфарт. Установлено, что Вульфарт эмигрировала в Южную Африку в 1920-е гг., но не оставляла надежды вернуться в Рос-сию и встретиться с вдовой Брюсова. Выявлены причины не раз отмеченной исследова-телями «интонации нервической навязчивости», которая задавала эмоциональный фон отношений Брюсова и Вульфарт. Изложены основные события жизни героини 14-го со-нета, а также уточнены и дополнены сведения относительно ее взаимоотношений с по-этом, содержащиеся в ранее опубликованных статьях о ней.
Valery Bryusov’s “Unnamed” Muse. A South African Epilogue
In the past ten years, biographers of Valery Bryusov pointed out that it was necessary to continue research into the life of M.V. Wulffahrt, to whom Bryusov dedicated the fourteenth sonnet of his Fatal Set. Her image permeated Bryusov’s love poems in 1914–1915, the period when he was particularly close with her. The histo-ry of their relationship was thoroughly researched by analysing their correspondence preserved in the Russian State Library. However, until now, scholars were unable to extend her biography past the end of her love affair with Bryusov. The task has been accomplished by using sources from other archives in Russia and South Africa, which are being introduced into scholarly discourse for the first time, as well as genealogi-cal databases and interviews with Wulffahrt’s family members. It has been established that Wulffahrt immigrated to South Africa in the 1920s but did not give up the hope of returning to her native country and meeting Bryusov’s widow. The article explains the reason for the ‘anxious obsessiveness’ of Wulffahrt’s attitude towards Bryusov, which has been repeatedly noted by scholars, and sets the emotional background of the rela-tionship between the poet and his last muse. The most important events in Wulffahrt’s life are identified and described, and several aspects of her relationship with Bryusov as well as her presence in his work that were mentioned in the literature on this sub-ject are clarified.
Valery Bryusov’s “Unnamed” Muse. A South African Epilogue
In the past ten years, biographers of Valery Bryusov pointed out that it was necessary to continue research into the life of M.V. Wulffahrt, to whom Bryusov dedicated the fourteenth sonnet of his Fatal Set. Her image permeated Bryusov’s love poems in 1914–1915, the period when he was particularly close with her. The histo-ry of their relationship was thoroughly researched by analysing their correspondence preserved in the Russian State Library. However, until now, scholars were unable to extend her biography past the end of her love affair with Bryusov. The task has been accomplished by using sources from other archives in Russia and South Africa, which are being introduced into scholarly discourse for the first time, as well as genealogi-cal databases and interviews with Wulffahrt’s family members. It has been established that Wulffahrt immigrated to South Africa in the 1920s but did not give up the hope of returning to her native country and meeting Bryusov’s widow. The article explains the reason for the ‘anxious obsessiveness’ of Wulffahrt’s attitude towards Bryusov, which has been repeatedly noted by scholars, and sets the emotional background of the rela-tionship between the poet and his last muse. The most important events in Wulffahrt’s life are identified and described, and several aspects of her relationship with Bryusov as well as her presence in his work that were mentioned in the literature on this sub-ject are clarified.
Research Interests:
В статье путем изучения доступных печатных, визуальных и вербальных источников из России, Южной Африки, США и Германии выявлены и проанализированы факты очного и заочного общения «отца» экспериментальной кардиотрансплантологии В.П.... more
В статье путем изучения доступных печатных, визуальных и вербальных источников из России, Южной Африки, США и Германии выявлены и проанализированы факты очного и заочного общения «отца» экспериментальной кардиотрансплантологии В.П. Демихова (Москва, СССР) и пионера клинической пересадки сердца C.N. Barnard (Кейптаун, Южная Африка). Показано, что методы операций на сердце, в том числе в условиях искусственного кровообращения, C.N. Barnard освоил в 1956–1958 гг. в США, а в дальнейшем усовершенствовал их у себя на родине – как в клинике (операции на сердце при пороках), так и в эксперименте (пересадка сердца). Основными событиями, предшествовавшими проведенной C.N. Barnard 3 декабря 1967 г. первой в мире пересадке сердца человеку, были его поездка в США в августе 1967 г. для изучения методов иммуносупрессии и выполненная им пересадка почки в Кейптауне в сентябре 1967 г. До этого времени C.N.Barnard побывал в СССР всего один раз, в мае 1960 г. как делегат XXVII Всесоюзного съезда хирургов. В Советском Союзе он посетил ряд клиник, занимавшихся хирургией сердца и пересадкой тканей и органов, включая Институт скорой помощи им. Н.В. Склифосовского, и встречался там с В.П. Демиховым, но ни поговорить с ним лично, ни посмотреть его операции C.N. Barnard не удалось. В декабре 1967 г. В.П. Демихов разговаривал с C.N. Barnard по телефону, но разговор носил сугубо профессиональный характер. Показаны различные подходы В.П. Демихова и C.N. Barnard к проблеме трансплантологии: если советский хирург больше внимания уделял технике пересадки, то южноафриканский хирург считал основой успеха решение иммунологических проблем. Тем не менее, о научных достижениях В.П. Демихова C.N. Barnard хорошо знал и использовал некоторые из них в своей хирургической практике. Авторы обосновали взаимоотношения В.П. Демихова и C.N. Barnard не как учителя и ученика (в узком смысле), а как идейного наставника и ученика (в широком смысле). Поэтому в широком, философском смысле советского хирурга можно считать одним из вдохновителей первой в мире пересадки сердца, доказавшей, в свою очередь, что его подвижнический труд не был напрасным.
Research Interests:
Имя Аллана Боу не упоминается в публикациях по истории ранних российско-южноафриканских связей. Деятельность многолетнего компаньона Карла Фаберже должна привлечь внимание историков в первую очередь потому, что она приходится на период,... more
Имя Аллана Боу не упоминается в публикациях по истории ранних российско-южноафриканских связей. Деятельность многолетнего компаньона Карла Фаберже должна привлечь внимание историков в первую очередь потому, что она приходится на период, когда между Россией и территориями, ныне входящими в ЮАР, по-видимому, отсутствовали торговые отношения. В статье проанализирован значительный вклад Боу в становление крупнейшей ювелирной фирмы Российской Империи. Он, возможно, является первым предпринимателем с юга Африки, долго и плодотворно работавшим в России. Можно предположить, что южноафриканские деловые связи с Россией начали устанавливаться не позднее 1880-х гг., когда Боу приступил к предпринимательской деятельности в Москве.
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Although the COVID-19 pandemic started only recently, and the epidemiological situation in Africa and worldwide changes rapidly and sometimes unexpectedly, a preliminary analysis of the South African experience in handling the outbreak... more
Although the COVID-19 pandemic started only recently, and the epidemiological situation in Africa and worldwide changes rapidly and sometimes unexpectedly, a preliminary analysis of the South African experience in handling the outbreak can be illuminating. Within the two months since the first confirmed case was reported in South Africa, the government took comprehensive measures to combat the new coronavirus. These measures displayed patterns and attitudes that will probably persist and determine the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.
‘Putting out the small flames to avoid a raging fire’ has been the main principle of the government’s strategy. The anticipatory action includes community screening and testing, using some of the experience that South African health professionals acquired in containing the HIV/AIDS pandemic. By minimising or preventing community transmission in high-risk areas they have succeeded in maintaining a comparatively low infection rate.
South African policymakers have displayed flexibility in response to the demands of the population and the business community. The full lockdown has been replaced with the so-called ‘shielding’ approach, protecting the most vulnerable residents while allowing the rest of the people to engage in their normal activities, with mandatory precautions.
The government has also shown its resolve to salvage the South African economy by reallocating a large part of the budget and securing loans from international financial institutions, such as the New Development Bank (BRICS), for a stimulus package that amounts to 10% of the country’s GDP.
‘Putting out the small flames to avoid a raging fire’ has been the main principle of the government’s strategy. The anticipatory action includes community screening and testing, using some of the experience that South African health professionals acquired in containing the HIV/AIDS pandemic. By minimising or preventing community transmission in high-risk areas they have succeeded in maintaining a comparatively low infection rate.
South African policymakers have displayed flexibility in response to the demands of the population and the business community. The full lockdown has been replaced with the so-called ‘shielding’ approach, protecting the most vulnerable residents while allowing the rest of the people to engage in their normal activities, with mandatory precautions.
The government has also shown its resolve to salvage the South African economy by reallocating a large part of the budget and securing loans from international financial institutions, such as the New Development Bank (BRICS), for a stimulus package that amounts to 10% of the country’s GDP.
Research Interests: Coronaviruses, South Africa, Coronavirus, Wuhan coronavirus, Covid-19, and 11 moreCoronavirus COVID-19, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Pandemic Coronavirus COVID19, COVID-19 Epidemic, COVID-19 PANDEMIC, COVID19, What Doctors Know About Coronavirus COVID-19, Economic effects of COVID-19 , South Africa and COVID-19, Africa and COVID-19, and Coronavirus in South Africa
Journal of African Cinemas, Volume 7, Number 1, 1 April 2015, pp. 51-55. South Africa’s most popular film, one of the local industry’s greatest achievements, arouses mixed feelings. The Gods Must Be Crazy managed to evade the... more
Journal of African Cinemas, Volume 7, Number 1, 1 April 2015, pp. 51-55.
South Africa’s most popular film, one of the local industry’s greatest
achievements, arouses mixed feelings. The Gods Must Be Crazy managed to evade the barriers such as the cultural boycott and reach millions of people overseas.
South Africa’s most popular film, one of the local industry’s greatest
achievements, arouses mixed feelings. The Gods Must Be Crazy managed to evade the barriers such as the cultural boycott and reach millions of people overseas.
Research Interests: African Film, African cinema, South African cinema, Film music, South African music, politics of representation, South African film, national identity, cultural re-definition, and 12 moreAfrican cinema, South African cinema, film audiences, Black Identity in South African Film, race in South African music, media and film, South African Cinematography, South African Film, South African and African literature, film and photography, African Cinemas, South African film studies, History of South African Film, South African film audience, history of african cinemas, and Film Industry In South Africa
Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Vol 5. Harrassowitz, 2014.
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Генеалогический вестник. Выпуск 39. СПБ, 2010, с. 43-49.
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Босман Г. Ч. Беккерсдальский марафон. Рассказ. Пер. с англ. Б. Горелика // Азия и Африка сегодня. 2001. № 9.
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By Ben-Erik van Wyk and Boris Gorelik A review of Cape plants that have been used as hot beverages (i.e., tisanes or “teas”, consumed primarily as food items but partly also as traditional medicines). Data are presented on the... more
By Ben-Erik van Wyk and Boris Gorelik
A review of Cape plants that have been used as hot beverages (i.e., tisanes or “teas”, consumed primarily as food items but partly also as traditional medicines). Data are presented on the historical and contemporary ethnobotanical uses of 52 species from 15 Cape genera (Agathosma, Aspalathus, Catha, Cyclopia, Geranium, Helichrysum, Lessertia, Leysera, Mentha, Mesembryanthemum, Plecostachys, Rafnia, Stachys, Thesium and Viscum). The tradition of drinking tea (and coffee), introduced by early European settlers in the 17th century, appears to have stimulated the use of numerous indigenous plants as tea and coffee substitutes. The fact that Khoi and San vernacular names for tea plants have never been documented might indicate that the drinking of herbal tea or bush tea was not part of the indigenous Khoi and San culinary traditions in the pre-colonial era (before the introduction of tea and coffee to the Cape). Several Cape “teas” have remained poorly known or apparently lost their popularity (e.g. Leysera gnaphalodes, once considered to be the most widely used Cape tea) while others appear to be relatively recent inventions (e.g. rooibos tea, Aspalathus linearis, conspicuous by its absence in the early literature and first mentioned in the historical record in the late 19th century). In contrast, honeybush tea or Cape tea (Cyclopia species, first recorded in 1830) has remained popular since the 18th century but only recently became an important item of commerce. There is evidence that some species were mainly used as adulterants or to improve the flavour of the tea (e.g. by enhancing the fermentation process). Some Cape herbal teas with commercial potential as new functional foods currently lack scientific data on the main chemical constituents and their modes of action.
A review of Cape plants that have been used as hot beverages (i.e., tisanes or “teas”, consumed primarily as food items but partly also as traditional medicines). Data are presented on the historical and contemporary ethnobotanical uses of 52 species from 15 Cape genera (Agathosma, Aspalathus, Catha, Cyclopia, Geranium, Helichrysum, Lessertia, Leysera, Mentha, Mesembryanthemum, Plecostachys, Rafnia, Stachys, Thesium and Viscum). The tradition of drinking tea (and coffee), introduced by early European settlers in the 17th century, appears to have stimulated the use of numerous indigenous plants as tea and coffee substitutes. The fact that Khoi and San vernacular names for tea plants have never been documented might indicate that the drinking of herbal tea or bush tea was not part of the indigenous Khoi and San culinary traditions in the pre-colonial era (before the introduction of tea and coffee to the Cape). Several Cape “teas” have remained poorly known or apparently lost their popularity (e.g. Leysera gnaphalodes, once considered to be the most widely used Cape tea) while others appear to be relatively recent inventions (e.g. rooibos tea, Aspalathus linearis, conspicuous by its absence in the early literature and first mentioned in the historical record in the late 19th century). In contrast, honeybush tea or Cape tea (Cyclopia species, first recorded in 1830) has remained popular since the 18th century but only recently became an important item of commerce. There is evidence that some species were mainly used as adulterants or to improve the flavour of the tea (e.g. by enhancing the fermentation process). Some Cape herbal teas with commercial potential as new functional foods currently lack scientific data on the main chemical constituents and their modes of action.
Research Interests:
Дипломная работа Бориса Горелика Московский государственный университет Факультет иностранных языков 2001 год Автор знакомит нас со сложной языковой ситуацией в Южной Африке, связанной с социолинrвистическими аспектами жизни этой страны.... more
Дипломная работа Бориса Горелика
Московский государственный университет
Факультет иностранных языков
2001 год
Автор знакомит нас со сложной языковой ситуацией в Южной Африке, связанной с социолинrвистическими аспектами жизни этой страны. В своей работе автор подробно останавливается на особенностях перевода расистской лексики в англоязычной литературе ЮАР, привлекает большой справочный материал социального и этнического характера, создавая необходимый экстралингвистический фон для своих размышлений и выводов. В приложении даны отрывки из современных романов южноафриканских авторов и один рассказ с русскими переводами, выполненными автором работы.
Московский государственный университет
Факультет иностранных языков
2001 год
Автор знакомит нас со сложной языковой ситуацией в Южной Африке, связанной с социолинrвистическими аспектами жизни этой страны. В своей работе автор подробно останавливается на особенностях перевода расистской лексики в англоязычной литературе ЮАР, привлекает большой справочный материал социального и этнического характера, создавая необходимый экстралингвистический фон для своих размышлений и выводов. В приложении даны отрывки из современных романов южноафриканских авторов и один рассказ с русскими переводами, выполненными автором работы.
Research Interests:
An academic history of rooibos tea and traditional usage of the rooibos plant. The SA Rooibos Council commissioned historian Boris Gorelik to investigate historical records on the earliest usage of the rooibos plant (Aspalathus linearis)... more
An academic history of rooibos tea and traditional usage of the rooibos plant.
The SA Rooibos Council commissioned historian Boris Gorelik to investigate historical records on the earliest usage of the rooibos plant (Aspalathus linearis) and the origins of the infusion known as rooibos tea. The following perceptions were objectively investigated:
1. The rooibos plant was used by San and Khoikhoi peoples in precolonial times.
2. The hot beverage we know as rooibos tea originated in precolonial times.
3. The traditional method of harvesting and processing rooibos for making an infusion or decoction originated in precolonial times.
4. Colonial-era settlers learnt about rooibos tea from the indigenous peoples of the Cederberg.
Records investigated by the author include archival documents; manuscripts; secondary written sources (such as early travellers’ records); anthropological and archaeological publications; theses; testimonies from archaeologists, historians, ethnobotanists, ethnologists and sustainable development facilitators; and current or former members of communities residing in the original rooibos-growing areas. Oral testimonies were conducted in Nieuwoudtville, Onder Melkkraal, Clanwilliam, Wupperthal, Esselbank, Brugkraal, Heuningvlei, Bosdorp, Jamaka and Lambert’s Bay. The oldest residents of these areas were, however, only able to recall events of the early twentieth century and not precolonial times.
First published on the South African Rooibos Council website: https://sarooibos.co.za/rooibos-an-ethnographic-perspective/
The SA Rooibos Council commissioned historian Boris Gorelik to investigate historical records on the earliest usage of the rooibos plant (Aspalathus linearis) and the origins of the infusion known as rooibos tea. The following perceptions were objectively investigated:
1. The rooibos plant was used by San and Khoikhoi peoples in precolonial times.
2. The hot beverage we know as rooibos tea originated in precolonial times.
3. The traditional method of harvesting and processing rooibos for making an infusion or decoction originated in precolonial times.
4. Colonial-era settlers learnt about rooibos tea from the indigenous peoples of the Cederberg.
Records investigated by the author include archival documents; manuscripts; secondary written sources (such as early travellers’ records); anthropological and archaeological publications; theses; testimonies from archaeologists, historians, ethnobotanists, ethnologists and sustainable development facilitators; and current or former members of communities residing in the original rooibos-growing areas. Oral testimonies were conducted in Nieuwoudtville, Onder Melkkraal, Clanwilliam, Wupperthal, Esselbank, Brugkraal, Heuningvlei, Bosdorp, Jamaka and Lambert’s Bay. The oldest residents of these areas were, however, only able to recall events of the early twentieth century and not precolonial times.
First published on the South African Rooibos Council website: https://sarooibos.co.za/rooibos-an-ethnographic-perspective/
Research Interests: Natural Products, Medicinal Plants, Traditional Environmental Knowledge, Traditional Knowledge, Medicinal plants and natural products, and 15 moreHerbal Tea, medicinal & Aromatic plants, Tea industry, History of Tea Drinking, Rooibos, Tisane, EFFECT OF ASPALATHUS LINEARIS, Rooibos Tea, Cederberg Mountains, Herbal Teas, Clanwilliam (South Africa), Rooibos history, Rooibosch, Benjamin Ginsberg, and Rooibos traditional knowledge
‘Do you want me to tell you how I met Vladimir Tretchikoff?” asked Monika Sing-Lee. Of course I did—that was why I had come all the way from Russia to see her. I am working on a book about the controversial South African artist. His... more
‘Do you want me to tell you how I met Vladimir Tretchikoff?” asked Monika Sing-Lee. Of course I did—that was why I had come all the way from Russia to see her.
I am working on a book about the controversial South African artist. His works were reproduced in hundreds of thousands of cheap copies around the world, abhorred by art critics and adored by the public.
His most famous painting is Chinese Girl, the portrait of an Oriental woman whose face has an uncanny patina-like hue. Its reproductions are popularly known as the “Blue Lady” or the “Green Lady”, depending on the quality and degree of discolouration.
I travelled from wintry Moscow to summery Johannesburg to resolve a mystery about that iconic image. Who was Tretchikoff’s model? Was she the woman sitting next to me in this room?
I am working on a book about the controversial South African artist. His works were reproduced in hundreds of thousands of cheap copies around the world, abhorred by art critics and adored by the public.
His most famous painting is Chinese Girl, the portrait of an Oriental woman whose face has an uncanny patina-like hue. Its reproductions are popularly known as the “Blue Lady” or the “Green Lady”, depending on the quality and degree of discolouration.
I travelled from wintry Moscow to summery Johannesburg to resolve a mystery about that iconic image. Who was Tretchikoff’s model? Was she the woman sitting next to me in this room?
Research Interests:
Published in The Collector, Issue 22, 2013
Research Interests:
Первая документированная фильмография звезды раннего русского кино Осипа Ильича Рунича (1889-1947)
Research Interests: Russian Film, Russian Cinema, History of Russian and Soviet Cinema, Early Russian and Soviet film, Russian and Soviet film, and 10 moreRussian Cinematography and Literature, Russian Cinema and Criticism, 20th Century Russian and East European Literature and Film, Russian/Soviet Literature and Cinema, Early Russian Cinema, Early Russian Film, Russian / Soviet Cinema and Music, Russian Emigre Film, early 20th-century Russian and German cinema, and Russian Film Studies
Based on the novel by Etienne Leroux
Film script by Boris Gorelik
Film script by Boris Gorelik
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Произведения писателей и поэтов Южной Африки в переводе на русский язык.
Research Interests:
A comprehensive history of rooibos tea and the rooibos tea industry. Commissioned and published by the South African Rooibos Council. Gorelik, B, South African Rooibos Council, The Story of Rooibos. Stellenbosch: SA Rooibos Council,... more
A comprehensive history of rooibos tea and the rooibos tea industry. Commissioned and published by the South African Rooibos Council.
Gorelik, B, South African Rooibos Council, The Story of Rooibos. Stellenbosch: SA Rooibos Council, 2020. 165 pages.
Gorelik, B, South African Rooibos Council, The Story of Rooibos. Stellenbosch: SA Rooibos Council, 2020. 165 pages.
Research Interests:
In January 1900, galvanised by the daring of the Boers in taking on imperial Britain, the young Russian officer Yevgeny Avgustus set off for the Transvaal to fight in the Anglo-Boer War. Like most of the foreign volunteers who flocked to... more
In January 1900, galvanised by the daring of the Boers in taking on imperial Britain, the young Russian officer Yevgeny Avgustus set off for the Transvaal to fight in the Anglo-Boer War. Like most of the foreign volunteers who flocked to the Boer cause, he ended up on the Natal front.
Avgustus and his companions joined the Krugersdorp Commando, and their experiences in the field are portrayed in vivid detail. The central part of this gripping account covers the Battle of the Tugela Heights in February 1900 and the Boers’ subsequent retreat. The immediacy of Avgustus’s writing captures his trepidation and excitement as he approaches the battlefield for the first time, as well as his experience of life on commando.
The keen eye of this foreign volunteer brings to life a turning point in South African history. Avgustus is a gifted writer, and his narrative offers both acute observation and thoughtful introspection.
A gripping portrayal of human frailty and courage in the face of mortal danger, A Russian on Commando highlights both the strange attraction and the absurdities of war.
Avgustus and his companions joined the Krugersdorp Commando, and their experiences in the field are portrayed in vivid detail. The central part of this gripping account covers the Battle of the Tugela Heights in February 1900 and the Boers’ subsequent retreat. The immediacy of Avgustus’s writing captures his trepidation and excitement as he approaches the battlefield for the first time, as well as his experience of life on commando.
The keen eye of this foreign volunteer brings to life a turning point in South African history. Avgustus is a gifted writer, and his narrative offers both acute observation and thoughtful introspection.
A gripping portrayal of human frailty and courage in the face of mortal danger, A Russian on Commando highlights both the strange attraction and the absurdities of war.
Research Interests:
Boris Gorelik, Incredible Tretchikoff: Life of an Artist and Adventurer. London: Art / Books; Cape Town: Tafelberg, 2013. ISBN 0624056775, 9780624056775 For two decades he was the most famous painter in the world. Millions of people in... more
Boris Gorelik, Incredible Tretchikoff: Life of an Artist and Adventurer. London: Art / Books; Cape Town: Tafelberg, 2013. ISBN 0624056775, 9780624056775
For two decades he was the most famous painter in the world. Millions of people in Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa flocked to see and buy his exotic pictures. Celebrities queued up to be painted by him and to buy his works. Paintings such as Chinese Girl the Green Lady quickly became iconic images, reproduced countless times and appearing everywhere from suburban living rooms to blockbuster films. Vladimir Tretchikoff was the first popstar artist. He lived a life as colourful as his instantly recognizable paintings. Born to a deeply religious Siberian family, he fought poverty, tragedy, captivity and near death to become one of the most celebrated artists of his time. Loathed by the critics yet loved by the public, he defied misfortune and a dismissive art establishment to enjoy phenomenal success across the English-speaking world.
For two decades he was the most famous painter in the world. Millions of people in Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa flocked to see and buy his exotic pictures. Celebrities queued up to be painted by him and to buy his works. Paintings such as Chinese Girl the Green Lady quickly became iconic images, reproduced countless times and appearing everywhere from suburban living rooms to blockbuster films. Vladimir Tretchikoff was the first popstar artist. He lived a life as colourful as his instantly recognizable paintings. Born to a deeply religious Siberian family, he fought poverty, tragedy, captivity and near death to become one of the most celebrated artists of his time. Loathed by the critics yet loved by the public, he defied misfortune and a dismissive art establishment to enjoy phenomenal success across the English-speaking world.
Research Interests:
'An Entirely Different World': Russian Visitors to the Cape 1797-1870. Edited by Boris Gorelik. Cape Town: Van Riebeeck Society for the Publication of Southern African Historical Documents, 2015. ISBN 0981426468, 9780981426464 The... more
'An Entirely Different World': Russian Visitors to the Cape 1797-1870. Edited by Boris Gorelik. Cape Town: Van Riebeeck Society for the Publication of Southern African Historical Documents, 2015. ISBN 0981426468, 9780981426464
The Russian view of the Cape as represented in this volume may be unique.
During the period in question, Russia had no cultural, political or economic ties with South Africa. Russians saw the Cape only as a convenient stopover en route to the Far East, to their country’s distant domains that could not be reached by sea otherwise. The Cape was one of the ‘exotic’ lands they would visit on such journeys, their first and only introduction to the African continent.
Although amazed and perplexed by the ‘entirely different world’ they found here, Russian travellers would often draw unexpected parallels between life in their motherland and the realities of the Cape Colony.
The selections include memoirs of such important Russian personalities as Yuri Lisyansky, Vasily Golovnin, Ivan Goncharov and Konstantin Posyet. Most of the texts appear in English for the first time.
The Russian view of the Cape as represented in this volume may be unique.
During the period in question, Russia had no cultural, political or economic ties with South Africa. Russians saw the Cape only as a convenient stopover en route to the Far East, to their country’s distant domains that could not be reached by sea otherwise. The Cape was one of the ‘exotic’ lands they would visit on such journeys, their first and only introduction to the African continent.
Although amazed and perplexed by the ‘entirely different world’ they found here, Russian travellers would often draw unexpected parallels between life in their motherland and the realities of the Cape Colony.
The selections include memoirs of such important Russian personalities as Yuri Lisyansky, Vasily Golovnin, Ivan Goncharov and Konstantin Posyet. Most of the texts appear in English for the first time.
Research Interests:
A memoir of a white official in South Africa’s largest black ‘city’ in the aftermath of the 1976 uprising, Grinker’s Inside Soweto is a revelation. A view from within the ‘system’, too radical for the conservatives and too conservative... more
A memoir of a white official in South Africa’s largest black ‘city’ in the aftermath of the 1976 uprising, Grinker’s Inside Soweto is a revelation. A view from within the ‘system’, too radical for the conservatives and too conservative for the radicals, Inside Soweto came out in 1986, only to be rapidly sold out – and conveniently forgotten.
This new, revised edition features an epilogue written by Grinker in 2014. It also contains rare photos from the author’s collection.
David Grinker. Inside Soweto: Memoir of an Official 1960s-80s. Edited and introduced by Boris Gorelik. Johannesburg: Eastern Enterprises, 2014. ISBN 1291865993, 9781291865998
This new, revised edition features an epilogue written by Grinker in 2014. It also contains rare photos from the author’s collection.
David Grinker. Inside Soweto: Memoir of an Official 1960s-80s. Edited and introduced by Boris Gorelik. Johannesburg: Eastern Enterprises, 2014. ISBN 1291865993, 9781291865998
Research Interests: South Africa (History), South African history, Southern African History, South African social and cultural history, Johannesburg, and 2 moreSoweto and Johannesburg Pretoria Durban Cape Town Midrand Soweto Polokwane BoksburgTembisa Alberton Benoni Bloemfontein Port Elizabeth Pietermaritzburg Krugersdorp
Когда в конце ХХ века россияне устремились в недоступную прежде ЮАР, они оказались далеко не первыми: в Южной Африке проживали десятки тысяч наших соотечественников. Среди них ― депутаты парламента, нобелевские лауреаты, миллионеры,... more
Когда в конце ХХ века россияне устремились в недоступную прежде ЮАР, они оказались далеко не первыми: в Южной Африке проживали десятки тысяч наших соотечественников. Среди них ― депутаты парламента, нобелевские лауреаты, миллионеры, звезда русского немого кино, всемирно известный художник, эксперт по южноафриканским бабочкам, основоположник электронной микроскопии на континенте, советник эфиопского императора, мэр Йоханнесбурга.
Как сложились отношения вновь прибывших иммигрантов с предшественниками? Как наши соотечественники адаптировались к жизни в ЮАР? Оправдались ли их надежды? Что представляет собой российская диаспора в этой стране сегодня?..
Это первая монография по истории российской иммиграции в Южную Африку.
Как сложились отношения вновь прибывших иммигрантов с предшественниками? Как наши соотечественники адаптировались к жизни в ЮАР? Оправдались ли их надежды? Что представляет собой российская диаспора в этой стране сегодня?..
Это первая монография по истории российской иммиграции в Южную Африку.
Research Interests:
Основной целью настоящей работы является выявление исторической динамики и особенностей российской иммиграции в Южную Африку. Исследована история возникновения, формирования и функционирования общин российских эмигрантов на территории... more
Основной целью настоящей работы является выявление исторической динамики и особенностей российской иммиграции в Южную Африку. Исследована история возникновения, формирования и функционирования общин российских эмигрантов на территории Южной Африки в 1950-2003 гг.