Revised Work

*This is my Stacks Exploration One-Pager*

When you walk into section JN of O’Neill’s fourth floor, dust immediately fills your lungs. Stacks of blood-red, canvas-bound books line the shelves, and no person is in sight. This, however, is the expected reality if you enter the “Political Institutions and Public Administration of the USSR and Russian Federation” section of the library. I genuinely believe that I am the first person to walk into this section since 2010 (when its most recent book was added). In area JN, the average book wears the mark of “1970,” and each check-out card remains blank; it is truly a relic of the past. The books are a compilation of English titles like Subverting the System by Jonathon Harris and daunting Russian works like Первый Сьеза Народных Депутатов Ссср. While sitting amongst these works, I understood the most important thing I learned from this exploration: not many people are asking questions about the history of Russian government systems, even when it is most important. I am among the few interested in these books at BC. On Tuesday, I listened to Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov, a Russian, speak about journalism in Russian Revolutions, which inspired me to investigate section JN. While these topics may be significant to me, it appears as if they aren’t for many. Muratov explained how important it is to uncover the truth and investigate the forgotten. In his case, Muratov created one of Russia’s only pro-democracy newspapers, Новая газета, which wrote about human rights violations, the Putin regime, and the 2014 annexation of Crimea. His work truly attested to his mentality and resulted in him winning the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. Throughout my education at BC, something has drawn me to investigate the different intersections of Russia on the world stage. Whether that be with the current war in Ukraine or how they operate in climate politics, I’ve always wanted to know more. Muratov has inspired me to believe that these inquiries are valid. If no one is to investigate the forgotten sections of our academia, how many questions will be left unanswered? Something is inspiring about being the first person to crack open a book in 30 years, and I think this signifies that I am on the right track with my inquiry.