DELC Research Seminar Series: Simon Franklin In brief Date - 9 March 2026Venue - Project Room 1.06, 50 George SquareSpeaker - Professor Simon Franklin (University of Cambridge)Title - Constructing a Cultural History of the Russian Language About the eventThis talk is a preview of Professor Franklin’s forthcoming book, 'Troublesome Words: a Cultural History of Russian'. Oddly, although language is a phenomenon of culture, the cultural history of language(s) is not an established disciplinary label either as a branch of linguistics or as a branch of cultural studies.This book therefore tries to shape a subject that has not tangibly existed. It focusses not on language as such, but on ways in which Russian has been conceived, crafted, defined, disputed, constructed and deconstructed both as a cultural instrument and as an object of cultural reflection.The narrative begins in the late seventeenth century (before there was any standard notion of what ‘Russian’ was or ought to become). It follows the fluctuations in ideas of linguistic authority (social, political, cultural), of norms and their subversion, and the impact of challenges ranging from the technological to the ideological to the geopolitical. It ends in mid-2025 with the latest legislation for the use of Russian as a state language.This talk will be in English and followed by a Q&A.About the speakerMost of Simon Franklin’s research has been concerned with the history and culture of early Rus, and of Russia in the Early Modern period, though he has also published occasional studies of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian literature. In particular, he has focussed on aspects of the cultural significances of the written word across a broad spectrum of genres and forms and technologies: handwritten and printed, graffiti, inscribed objects, ephemera. Most recently he has been developing a holistic approach to the study of the ‘graphosphere’, the spaces of visible words.Apart from teaching and research, he has served in numerous university and college roles, including periods as Head of the School of Arts and Humanities, as Senior Tutor of Clare College, and as a Trustee of the European University in St Petersburg, and of the Pushkin House Trust in London. In 2007 he was awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and he is a Fellow of the British Academy.How to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. No registration is required - just come along!About the seminar seriesThe DELC Research Seminar Series (DRSS) encourages collaboration and coproduction between staff and students across European Languages and Cultures and beyond.Entry is free and everyone is welcome. No registration is necessary.Are you interested in studying European Languages and Cultures?Our interdisciplinary environment brings together specialists in nine European languages, and the many cultures worldwide in which they're spoken, with experts in film, literature, theatre, translation and intermediality. Working with colleagues elsewhere in LLC, and across the wider University, we are able to support research which crosses boundaries between disciplines and/or languages. Find out more about studying with us Tags European Languages and Cultures Russian Mar 09 2026 16.10 - 17.10 DELC Research Seminar Series: Simon Franklin An in-person seminar by Professor Simon Franklin (University of Cambridge) discussing his forthcoming book 'Troublesome Words', which is a cultural history of the Russian language. Project Room 1.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square
DELC Research Seminar Series: Simon Franklin In brief Date - 9 March 2026Venue - Project Room 1.06, 50 George SquareSpeaker - Professor Simon Franklin (University of Cambridge)Title - Constructing a Cultural History of the Russian Language About the eventThis talk is a preview of Professor Franklin’s forthcoming book, 'Troublesome Words: a Cultural History of Russian'. Oddly, although language is a phenomenon of culture, the cultural history of language(s) is not an established disciplinary label either as a branch of linguistics or as a branch of cultural studies.This book therefore tries to shape a subject that has not tangibly existed. It focusses not on language as such, but on ways in which Russian has been conceived, crafted, defined, disputed, constructed and deconstructed both as a cultural instrument and as an object of cultural reflection.The narrative begins in the late seventeenth century (before there was any standard notion of what ‘Russian’ was or ought to become). It follows the fluctuations in ideas of linguistic authority (social, political, cultural), of norms and their subversion, and the impact of challenges ranging from the technological to the ideological to the geopolitical. It ends in mid-2025 with the latest legislation for the use of Russian as a state language.This talk will be in English and followed by a Q&A.About the speakerMost of Simon Franklin’s research has been concerned with the history and culture of early Rus, and of Russia in the Early Modern period, though he has also published occasional studies of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian literature. In particular, he has focussed on aspects of the cultural significances of the written word across a broad spectrum of genres and forms and technologies: handwritten and printed, graffiti, inscribed objects, ephemera. Most recently he has been developing a holistic approach to the study of the ‘graphosphere’, the spaces of visible words.Apart from teaching and research, he has served in numerous university and college roles, including periods as Head of the School of Arts and Humanities, as Senior Tutor of Clare College, and as a Trustee of the European University in St Petersburg, and of the Pushkin House Trust in London. In 2007 he was awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and he is a Fellow of the British Academy.How to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. No registration is required - just come along!About the seminar seriesThe DELC Research Seminar Series (DRSS) encourages collaboration and coproduction between staff and students across European Languages and Cultures and beyond.Entry is free and everyone is welcome. No registration is necessary.Are you interested in studying European Languages and Cultures?Our interdisciplinary environment brings together specialists in nine European languages, and the many cultures worldwide in which they're spoken, with experts in film, literature, theatre, translation and intermediality. Working with colleagues elsewhere in LLC, and across the wider University, we are able to support research which crosses boundaries between disciplines and/or languages. Find out more about studying with us Tags European Languages and Cultures Russian Mar 09 2026 16.10 - 17.10 DELC Research Seminar Series: Simon Franklin An in-person seminar by Professor Simon Franklin (University of Cambridge) discussing his forthcoming book 'Troublesome Words', which is a cultural history of the Russian language. Project Room 1.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square
Mar 09 2026 16.10 - 17.10 DELC Research Seminar Series: Simon Franklin An in-person seminar by Professor Simon Franklin (University of Cambridge) discussing his forthcoming book 'Troublesome Words', which is a cultural history of the Russian language.
