Melinda Whalen, UW junior studying history and Russian, one of 20 nationwide to be awarded the selective Beinecke Scholarship

What is it about Russia and Russian history, particularly during WWII and the Cold War, that has you so captivated? In other words, what’s your why for this area of study?

Cold War fears and narratives, which present Russians as markedly different from us, have continued to linger in the American public consciousness today; this manifests as anti-Russian rhetoric and biases in public education systems, academia, and in media especially. Growing up with this ever-present narrative, I rarely questioned it and that’s only if I noticed it at all, which makes it all the more important to understand where these came from and how to recognize them in the modern world. We have yet to fully recognize the ways in which WWII and the Cold War have directly impacted the way our society operates today.

There’s a perception of Russians as cold and unfeeling, however through my studies, I have found that the Russian language is artful and expressive in many ways and the adaptations of it under censorship and during times of crisis are uniquely beautiful. By studying Russian history, I am able to contextualize linguistic nuances and developments, which helps reconstruct the full cultural landscape of the time period. In some ways, my academic pursuits are self-indulgent; conducting historical research benefits broader academia of course, but it’s also secretly a way for me to have a reason to keep learning this fascinating language.

Especially considering today’s war in Ukraine, a deeply thorough understanding of today’s Russia and its origins in the Soviet period is essential to American international relations moving forward. Studying Soviet culture allows us to better understand the historical context that modern Russia is developing out of and how it continues to impact Russian politics.

What has being involved in research meant to your undergraduate experience?

In any class that I take, I’m still thinking about my research and find myself trying to make connections between what I’m learning now and what I’ve been researching.

You start finding interesting similarities or subtle differences or maybe even start seeing your topic from a different angle just because it’s on your mind all the time. It’s a great exercise because it’s like I’m constantly drafting a compare and contrast essay in my head, so when it’s actually time to start writing, I find it much easier. My research isn’t just something I do for a class or a grade, it impacts how I think about and relate to the world around me.

What role have mentors played in your undergraduate experience?

I cannot overstate the impact of my mentors on my academic pursuits thus far. Whether it be editing my drafts or listening to my ramblings for the third time that week, my mentors have always been willing to give their time and energy to be there for me. It isn’t just my professors who guide me, I see my advisers as my mentors as well; I see anyone who’s ever helped me as a mentor in some way, which is why I’m always looking for new people to talk to so I can learn from them. When you have a team of people who support you and believe in you, you start wanting to make them proud of you so you work harder and reach farther than you even think you’re capable of.

What has your specific area of research taught you that surprised you?

Considering I am only 20 years old, many things surprise me because I know very little. Learning history requires me to study people, places and cultures that I’m unfamiliar with and it can be very easy to be overwhelmed by how different it is from my own life. However, when you’re faced with so much unfamiliarity, it’s almost boring to keep pointing out the differences between you and them. So instead, you start looking for similarities between your world and theirs; you realize you are much more alike than you thought and it makes you a little happy to make those connections. You realize that there really is no “you” and “them,” that hyper-focusing on your differences does very little for you. I guess I expected more of a divide between my personal and professional life, but I carry the things I learn with me. It has profoundly changed the way I think about myself and how I relate to others.

What are some things you’ve learned that are unique to scholarship in the humanities?

What is great about humanities scholarship is that it’s a labor of love. You research because you have a lead you need to follow or something you just need to know more about and people benefit from your work in the process, whether they agree with your ideas or not. Your work is a departure point for others to jump off from and then a conversation begins and academia moves forward. This is true for most fields but the humanities are unique because it really depends on your own perception of things.