'Whatever I Undertake, I Try to Bring Together Like-Minded People'

The head of the School of International Regional Studies of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, Professor Olga Volosyuk celebrated her anniversary this October. In this interview with HSE University Life, she speaks about the cities where she feels at home, her discoveries made in archives, and her love of life.

'Everyone at the time was raving about Latin America, Che Guevara, Fidel, and Cuba'

My parents specialised in Japanese studies. In our home, we had a wide array of Japanese dictionaries, fiction, and scientific literature. My parents had hoped for me to learn Japanese, but for some reason, it didn't work out. I made the decision to enrol in the Faculty of History at Moscow State University, which happened to be conveniently situated just a 20-minute walk from my home. But proximity was not the only thing that determined my choice. My school history teacher had also played a significant role in fostering my passion for this subject. His name was Leonid Yakover. He introduced us to entire new worlds not only in the classroom but also by taking us on tours to various parts of Russia during every vacation—tours which helped us rediscover our home country. In my second year of university, I had the opportunity to select a second language to study alongside English, and I opted for Spanish. It was 1976, when everyone was raving about Latin America: Cuba, Fidel, Che Guevara... In 1977, following the death of Franco, the USSR established diplomatic relations with Spain, and Professor Ellida Litavrina initiated the first academic seminar dedicated to Spain at the Faculty of History. I signed up and was truly happy. I immersed myself in the study of the country's history, worked as an interpreter for Spanish delegations, and became a member of the USSR-Spain Friendship Society. As a member of this society, I travelled to Spain for the first time—but only a decade later in 1988, by which time I had already defended my doctoral thesis and was teaching at Peoples' Friendship University. During my extensive journey through Spain, I visited Madrid, the Basque Country, and Galicia. I was finally in the country I had learned so much about, and now experienced first-hand: here it was—Spain.

'It is essential for me to be around people'

During my first trip to Spain, I made a lot of friends and good acquaintances. The warmth and openness of the Spanish people, their welcoming attitude and readiness to help you continues to resonate with me to this day. Following my initial visit, I returned to Spain multiple times for various academic events. But then there was a long hiatus, and upon my return to Spain years later, it felt as though my previous visit had occurred in prehistoric times. Indeed, in the 1980s and 1990s, the internet and mobile phones were not yet widely accessible. It took me a while to re-establish my earlier contacts using addresses and phone numbers written on postcards and scraps of paper. It was purely by chance that I crossed paths with some of the people I had known in my youth. One such 'find' was Carmen, the daughter of my good friend, Professor Emilio Sáez of the Spanish National Research Council's Institute of History. The last time we had seen each other was in 1988 when we were both still in our twenties. However, 35 years later, in July of that year, I reconnected with her through mutual friends. Human contacts are important to me, because, in essence, a country is defined by its people. I have worked a lot in archives in Moscow, in St Petersburg, and in Madrid. There is a remarkable archive in Simancas, a town located 120 kilometres from Madrid, housing original documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. Yet no matter how much time I spent working in that archive, I wouldn't have been able to focus exclusively on it. I consider it essential to surround myself with people with whom I have worked for so many years and have developed friendships, to the point where they have become almost like family members: close, trustworthy, honest, and always ready to offer support. Whatever I undertake, I try to bring together like-minded people, those with whom collaboration is a comfortable experience, and then everything is sure to fall into place.

© HSE University

'I did not want to focus on the subject of the workers' movement'

Upon graduating from university, all graduates were required to work for three years in positions assigned to them. I did not take the prospect very seriously and only remembered when there were just two days left to select from the available options for my job assignment. I was advised to opt for a position with the international department of Peoples' Friendship University. There were only two higher education institutions in Moscow at the time with the word 'university' in their name: MSU and Peoples' Friendship University (UDN). Thus, I started my work at UDN and simultaneously enrolled in a part-time doctoral programme offered by the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Two years later, after completing the doctoral programme and defending my thesis, I took up a position with the UDN Department of General History. My specialty was the modern history of Europe, and my doctoral thesis focused on the politics of enlightened absolutism in Spain during the latter half of the 18th century. What led me to this choice? First, there were already numerous scholars in the USSR writing about the Spanish Civil War and the workers' movement, and these subjects did not particularly interest me. Second, no one was researching the Spanish 18th century, despite the abundance of relevant academic literature available in Moscow libraries. In addition, I received a substantial collection of works by Spanish educators as a gift from Spanish Republicans who had sought refuge in the USSR after the Civil War and were eventually permitted to return to Spain during the Franco era. I still have photocopies of these books at home, complete with my notes and comments.

'This marked an important chapter in my life'

In 1993, I was offered a teaching position at the University of California. This was my first introduction to America. The second one was more extensive and took place five years later, in 1998, when my husband was assigned to work in New York by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and I accompanied him. Our initial plan was to stay for six months, but as it turned out, we ended up residing there for nine years. This was a lengthy period during which various events took place: I delivered lectures at universities, successfully defended my doctoral thesis, and gave birth to my son. We travelled extensively around the country and visited 44 states, including Hawaii, California, Colorado and Alaska. We made friends and continue to maintain these friendships. All of these experiences allowed us to get to know the country better and truly understand what America is all about. Later, my husband was once again assigned to work in New York, although this time for a shorter period. We spent a total of 11 years in America, and this marked an important chapter in my life.

© HSE University

There are two cities in the world which I consider to be ‘my cities.’ The first one is Moscow: it's where I was born, where I got an education, and where my family and friends live. I know Moscow in and out and enjoy showing guests around the city, whether by car or on foot—particularly in the evening, as the lights on the buildings along the central streets come on and the city is transformed. The second city I perceive as ‘my own’ is New York. While we were living there and my son had grown a bit older, I resumed my teaching role at UDN, which required me to travel to Moscow for extended periods. Each time my plane touched down at the New York airport, where my son and husband were already waiting to greet me, it felt as if I were coming back home. I knew every street and every turn on the way to our home, and we had our favourite shops and restaurants. We loved the jazz clubs located in the basements of Soho. We used to walk to the Metropolitan Opera on the other side of Central Park. I also have memories of taking my son to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His young attention span was sufficient for one or two sections of the museum. Then we would go home and buy ice cream on the way. And a week later, we would come back to the museum to see more. We visited the museum at least 30 times… During my husband's second assignment in New York, we lived on the Upper East Side, at the intersection of Second Avenue and 62nd Street. Our apartment was on the 33rd floor, and the windows overlooked the Manhattan Bridge. Standing by the window at four in the morning and gazing at the ceaseless flow of car lights traversing the bridge, you realise that the city is in constant motion, never pausing for a moment. This is what I love! I love life, I love movement, I love drive. 

There is yet another place that I hold dear as 'my city,' and that is Madrid, the imperial capital. The winding, narrow streets of Habsburg Madrid and the grand, broad avenues of Bourbon Madrid. I have travelled to Madrid frequently, and as soon as I arrive at Barajas Airport, I experience that familiar feeling of returning home. Just like in Moscow. Just like in New York. Madrid is home to the archives and the National Library of Spain, where I have spent countless hours. I have Spanish friends who live in Madrid.

'These four publications comprehensively address the topic of relations between Russia and Spain'

When I returned to Russia, I was offered a position with the School of Asian Studies at HSE University, and a few years later, with the newly established School of International Regional Studies. Here, at HSE University, I have had the opportunity to bring my passion for Spain to life. In 2016, in collaboration with Spanish colleagues, we organised a major conference dedicated to Russian-Spanish relations. At the same time, the idea of producing a series of books on the subject emerged and took shape. The first book in the series was Russian Diplomats in Spain. The book is bilingual, with texts in both Russian and Spanish. This, fundamentally, represents the history of relations between Russia and Spain from the 17th century to the present day, portrayed through the lives of individuals and their contributions to the development of connections between our two nations. Since the authors were exclusively Russian scholars, this predominantly reflects the Russian perspective on the history of relations between the countries. We delved into archives, painstakingly gathered biographical information, and uncovered old Spanish maps, on which we marked the streets and house numbers where Russian ambassadors resided in Madrid during different periods. The book contains a few interesting discoveries. On one of the title pages, we included the signatures of all Russian diplomats who had served in Spain.

The second book in the series was developed based on the results of the conference, and the third one was created with support from the Spanish Embassy. We submitted an application to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and won the competitive selection process, resulting in the publication of an extensive volume titled Russia and Spain: Diplomacy and Dialogue of Cultures. This book is also bilingual, but its authors include Spanish as well as Russian scholars. We formed a large team, consisting of 24 people on our side and 24 on the Spanish side. The final, fourth book in the series, focused on contemporary Russian-Spanish relations, was released last year. I believe that these four publications comprehensively address the topic of relations between Russia and Spain.

'My favourite little discovery'

Our collaboration with Spain continues. In June, our faculty hosted a conference attended by our colleagues, Professor Ignacio Menendez-Pidal of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Professor Concepción Camarero Bullón of Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. The conference was dedicated to Agustín de Betancourt, a Spanish engineer who came to work in Russia at the invitation of Emperor Alexander I. Betancourt is credited with the engineering designs of St Isaac's Cathedral and the Alexander Column in St Petersburg, the Moscow Manege, and the Nizhny Novgorod Fair. My favourite little scholarly discovery is also about Betancourt. His previous biographies mentioned that in 1808, he fled from Spain to France and then left France for Russia. No details were provided because nobody was certain. It turns out that he had been invited to Russia by Ivan Muravyov-Apostol, Russian ambassador to Spain. The archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contain the ambassador’s report to Alexander I, which states, 'I have become closely acquainted with a person ... [whom I find to be] the most knowledgeable mechanic not only in Spain but also in Europe.' The person he referred to was Agustín de Betancourt. Next year will commemorate the 200th anniversary of Betancourt's passing. We plan to organise conferences in observance of this anniversary, both in Russia and Spain.

'For me, the difficulty of a challenge elicits excitement rather than resistance'

My approach to life is one of excitement and enthusiasm. I enjoy being confronted with a challenging task and focusing on finding solutions. For me, the difficulty of a challenge elicits excitement rather than resistance. Today, my role encompasses three main components: teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities. It is difficult to say which of these I like more and which less than others. I teach a bachelor's course on the history of Western civilisations to Orientalists and truly enjoy this course. I believe it is essential for Orientalists to not only know about events in Western history, but also to recognise that the world is interconnected, with significant influences flowing from the West to the East and vice versa. I also love interacting with students in teaching the minor 'Iberoamerica: Business, Politics, Culture,' which gives me the opportunity to introduce students to my favourite countries, beloved narratives, and cherished heroes.

Olga Volosyuk with Ignacio Menendez-Pidal and Spanish student Sergio

© HSE University

I enjoy conducting research just as much. I am interested in delving into the core essence of a subject and get excited when I discover something new. I lack the words to describe the sensation you get when coming across a document in the archive and realising that you are the first person to lay eyes on it since it was penned by a diplomat in the distant 18th century and then read by an official of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. It is always a thrill, no matter where you work—whether in the archives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, where the documents of the Russian Empire are neatly sorted into folders, or at the State Archive of Naples, where they hand you a brush to clear the dust off a stack of 18th-century manuscripts, the dust of centuries… At a certain point, I became intrigued by the history of interactions between Europe and Asia, leading me to write several articles about the Spanish Jesuits who explored Japan in the mid-16th century. The endeavours of European missionaries in Eastern countries are an extensive and underexplored subject, which in Russia has hardly been researched at all, and I recommend it to our students for term papers and theses.

Lately, there has been a growing need to broaden my scope of professional interests. Our department has begun working on a project to study the Global South. The expertise of our department, which brings together outstanding experts on China, Japan, Korea, Latin America, the Middle East, Turkey, India, and various other countries and regions, representing the crème de la crème of Russian regional studies, enables us to tackle this challenging task. I believe it crucial to unite our academic interests and efforts in order to discover and address new academic challenges.

Regarding administrative tasks, I have been overseeing the programme for many years, refining my administrative skills primarily with master's students. For nine years, I was the academic supervisor of the 'Socioeconomic and Political Development of Modern Asia' Master's Programme, originally created by Olga Solodkova, who then passed the baton over to me. In February 2022, I was offered the position of Head of the School of International Regional Studies. Over the last year and a half, building a cohesive team has been our most significant achievement together. Our esteemed scholars have been involving young people, in particular undergraduate and postgraduate students, in establishing new schools of academic thought. We have welcomed many of the young career starters into our department, and I believe it is both vital and appropriate to assist those we have educated in building their academic careers. The result is a kind of club comprising like-minded individuals bound by a shared, profound interest.

November 30, 2023