HUGH F. GRAHAM, THE INDIANA EXPERIMENT AND SOVIET CLASSICAL SCHOLARSHIP IN THE 1950-1960s

The article deals with the career and works of Hugh F. Graham (1924-1994), a classical scholar and Slavist who in his numerous reviews published in The Classical World and The Classical Journal gave a vivid and mostly objective account of the 1950-1960s Soviet classical studies. Of special interest is "The Indiana University Workshop" (1960) connected with his name. Its participants were learning Latin from the standard Soviet textbook by A.N. Popov and P.M. Shendyapin. The American scholar came to the conclusion that this textbook demonstrated a comprehensive approach to the language and deserved to become a model for American teachers. The interest that some American scholars took in Soviet classical studies was due not only to the high level of the latter, but also to the successful development of science and technology in the then USSR. Hugh Graham thought that the Communist Party ideological control and limited contacts with foreign colleagues were the only obstacles for Soviet historians of antiquity to take world leading positions. He did not take into consideration the gap between metropolitan and provincial research and teaching institutions in the Soviet Union and ignored the gender factor. Thanks to his interest, however, works on ancient history written in Russian language during the heyday of Soviet classical studies, became known to the historians of the US and Europe.