Georgy Arbatov Institute for the U.S. and Canada Studies,
Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN)
The Society of American Culture Studies
Abstracts
The L International conference of American Culture Researchers
«Sculpting the Future to Build the Present: American Culture and Democracy»
December 4-8, 2024
Opening Plenary Session
December 4, Wednesday 2024 6.30 pm MSK
- RAS Correspondent Member Valery Garbuzov
Georgy Arbatov Institute for the U.S. and Canada Studies,Russian Academy of Sciences (ISKRAN), Russia
Democracy and Autocracy: Dichotomy of the Modern World
- Professor Olga Panova
Philology Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University
Gorky Institute of World Literature RAS, Moscow, Russia
Bewteen West and East: W.E.B. Du Bois on Democracy in Contemporary World
Dr. William E.B. Du Bois’ reflections on democracy were not purely academic, but were closely intertwined with his activities as a writer, teacher, civil rights activist and public figure. W.E.B. Du Bois had a a keen interest in democratic practices in contemporary world; his view of American democracy “from behind the veil” encouraged him to search and compare different models existing not only in the West (USA, Britain, Germany, France), but also in the East (USSR, China) and in Africa. Many of Du Bois’ major works were inspired by travels: his personal experience played a key role in his intellectual and creative activities. The paper dwells at some length on Du Bois’ travels – his trips around the world, five visits to the Soviet Union, trips to China, Africa, and Germany – and their influence on his ideas about democracy as well as his attitudes to the existing democratic practices. The paper is based on Du Bois’ published works (including autobiographical texts and correspondence), and unpublished materials from his archive – manuscripts, drafts, sketches, notes; among them his unpublished books The World Search for Democracy (draft manuscript, 1937), Russia and America: An Interpretation (1950).
- RSACS Academic Secretary Larisa Mikhaylova
Journalism Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
The Fiftieth Conference of American Culture Researchers: Memories and Perspectives