<br /> Soviet dissidents have long been objects of fascination. Who were they? What made them dissent? What did they believe? And what did they endure at the hands of a repressive Soviet state? We now have a clearer picture thanks to Benjamin Nathans’ new book, To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement. Soviet dissidents, or as they preferred to be called &#8220;rights defenders,&#8221; navigated a complicated choreography between the movement, the police, and its supporters abroad. Their approach was a strategy of &#8220;civil obedience,&#8221; that is pressuring the Soviet government to follow its own laws. Though amounting to around a thousand active participants, their influence grew, especially as they were lionized in the Western media. In this conversation with the Eurasian Knot, Nathans recounts this history, highlighting the often-overlooked role of women, dissidents’ complex relationship with Soviet society, and what their experience can teach us today.<br /> Guest:<br /> Benjamin Nathans is the Alan Charles Kors Associate Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of the multiple award-winning book, Beyond the Pale: The Jewish Encounter with Late Imperial Russia. His latest book is <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691117034/to-the-success-of-our-hopeless-cause?srsltid=AfmBOoo5H1v7SL62Y_ftZqzmj5gjhT2Tq_xJGSA8wNM06T_zj5Nl7vgX">To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement</a> published by Princeton University Press.<br /> Send us your sounds! <a href="https://euraknot.org/contact/">https://euraknot.org/contact/</a> <br /> Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/euraknot">https://www.patreon.com/euraknot</a> <br /> Knotty News: <a href="https://eurasianknot.substack.com/">https://eurasianknot.substack.com/</a><br /> Website: <a href="https://euraknot.org/">https://euraknot.org/</a><br />

The Eurasian Knot

The Eurasian Knot

The World of Soviet Dissidents

NOV 11, 202469 MIN
The Eurasian Knot

The World of Soviet Dissidents

NOV 11, 202469 MIN

Description

<p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1955498211&color=%2364443c&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /> <strong>Guest:</strong> Benjamin Nathans on <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691117034/to-the-success-of-our-hopeless-cause?srsltid=AfmBOoo5H1v7SL62Y_ftZqzmj5gjhT2Tq_xJGSA8wNM06T_zj5Nl7vgX"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement</span></i></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> published by Princeton University Press.</span></p> <p>The post <a href="https://euraknot.org/2024/11/11/the-world-of-soviet-dissidents/">The World of Soviet Dissidents</a> appeared first on <a href="https://euraknot.org">The Eurasian Knot</a>.</p>