Oxford University Russian Society
Encyclopedia
Russian Studies in the UK dates from the 19th century, when it was introduced first at Oxford (1869), then at Cambridge (1889). Since then, the relative health of the field has fluctuated in correspondence with the state of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's relations with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

.

The Oxford University Russian Society was founded in the Oxford University in 1909 by Prince Felix Yusupov
Felix Yusupov
Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston , was best known for participating in the murder of Grigori Rasputin, the faith healer who was said to have influenced decisions of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna.-Biography:...

, then a student at the University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...

, in order to promote links between Russia and the University. Almost a hundred years onwards, the society continues to espouse the same values with cultural events and talks by well-known and influential figures. It is not affiliated with any political party or movement, which allows it to host political speakers of great diversity.

The Russian Society currently numbers around 900 members. The aims of the society are to unite compatriots in Oxford, to promote Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

 and culture, and to support Russian-speaking students who wish to study in Oxford. In order to realise these aims, the Russian Society regularly holds many events, such as screening Russian films, organising conversational lunches, holding Russian celebrations and concerts, organising lectures by famous politicians and prominent cultural figures from Russia and other countries on the topics related to contemporary Russian politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...

 and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

.

The website of the Oxford University Russian Society is listed in the British Library's Guide to Slavonic and East European internet resources.
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