--- product_id: 410529940 title: "Cambridge University Press The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus" price: "287.86 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 5 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/410529940-cambridge-university-press-the-origins-of-the-slavic-nations-premodern store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # Covers 10th-18th centuries 590g scholarly depth Includes historical maps Cambridge University Press The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus **Price:** 287.86 DT **Availability:** βœ… In Stock ## Summary > πŸ“– Unlock the origins of Slavic nations β€” because history shapes today's power plays. ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Cambridge University Press The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus - **How much does it cost?** 287.86 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/410529940-cambridge-university-press-the-origins-of-the-slavic-nations-premodern) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Rich Primary Sources:** Includes extensive references to historical documents, letters, and contemporary debates. - β€’ **Deep Historical Insight:** Explore 800 years of East Slavic identity evolution from Kyivan Rus' to Peter the Great. - β€’ **Orthodox Church Influence:** Reveals the pivotal role of religion shaping Slavic nations’ history and mindset. - β€’ **Authoritative Academic Source:** Published by Cambridge University Press, trusted by scholars worldwide. - β€’ **Contextual Political Relevance:** Understand the roots of modern Eastern European geopolitics and cultural identities. ## Overview This Cambridge University Press volume offers a rigorous academic exploration of the premodern identities of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, tracing their cultural and political evolution from the 10th to the 18th century. It challenges nationalist narratives by focusing on historical self-perceptions and the influential role of the Orthodox Church, providing essential context for understanding current Eastern European dynamics. ## Description This book documents developments in the countries of eastern Europe, including the rise of authoritarian tendencies in Russia and Belarus, as well as the victory of the democratic 'Orange Revolution' in Ukraine, and poses important questions about the origins of the East Slavic nations and the essential similarities or differences between their cultures. It traces the origins of the modern Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian nations by focusing on pre-modern forms of group identity among the Eastern Slavs. It also challenges attempts to 'nationalize' the Rus' past on behalf of existing national projects, laying the groundwork for understanding of the pre-modern history of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The book covers the period from the Christianization of Kyivan Rus' in the tenth century to the reign of Peter I and his eighteenth-century successors, by which time the idea of nationalism had begun to influence the thinking of East Slavic elites. Review: Importat, timely but not an easy read - The Title of this book makes it highly important to read today against the background of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. Who are the Russians, Ukrainian and the Belarussians? The Subtitle tells us that this question will be answered from the perspective of what they themselves thought they were and not from any other standpoint. This is not a popular history book. It is not "fun" to read. It is pure work. Professor Serheii Plokhy are writing for serious students and academics and in order to fully appreciate the book it helps a lot if you know Russian and have a very good knowledge of East European geography. This is not a book you start with if your interest is Slavic history. The Book starts with the Kiev Rus state a thousand years ago. This is a problem since we know that the Slavs living in todays western Russia, Belarus and Ukraine arrived there at least 500 years earlier. The Whole platform for a discussion of who they are leaves out where they came from and if all of them came from the same place. There are some references to mythology but nothing at all about archeology or DNA research. There is no answer to the question if all Slavs have the same origin. The Book then continues to present seven hundred years (the book ends more or less in the early 1700-hundreds) of Slavic religious, political and ethnological discussion on the subject on what to call themselves. Russian, Ukrainian, Rus, White Rus, Ruthenian etc. Professor Plokhy takes us through a large amount of books, documents and letters between various historical figures as well as what other researchers have found out. All of these discussions are supported with a general outline of the history of these territories. There are also some maps that are of great help but as always you need more of them. It is a complicated history and there are a number of problems in the text that makes it a challenge to take in. There are a lot of different Slavic tribes in the text without any explanation who they were. There are important people with titles that are very hard to understand since they are not explained. Is it a bishop in todays language or a librarian? Even more problematic is the use of Russian words to explain or clarify something without translating these words. The Book only has two index. One over authors and one "General". What would have helped and made the book easier to take in are several more like: - an index over all Slavic tribes with information who they were and were they lived - a Russian vocabulary for those words used in the text - a timeline for the history of these areas since in some chapters the presentation jumps back and forward between centuries - more maps to sort out what the text presents. What goes through your mind reading the book is the question if it really is only what is in the minds of people that defines if they are Russian, Ukrainian or Belarussian? There is nothing on archeology and there is nothing on language. Did all the Slavs speak the same language 1500 years ago? Today we know that there is a big difference between Russian and Ukrainian (try Google translate and see the difference) but what was the case in 1500? The Book focuses on who is a Russian. Only in the last fifty pages are there any discussion on who is Ukrainian. There is almost nothing in the book about Belarus except that armies fought there. In fact, there is so little on Belarus that the word Belarus should be stricken from the subtitle of the book. What is important and well presented in the book is the tremendous importance of the Orthodox Church. Up until Peter the Great the willpower of the Orthodox Church was one of the most important factors in the Slavic history. When you read about the Orthodox Church and read todays news there are a lot of similarities. Having read the book you will get a clearer picture of what makes these people think and behave today. The Similarity of the problems 3-500 years ago and today are striking. You will recognize a lot of political statements and propaganda that are being said and used today as based on (or not on) their previous history. This is very important since there is a very strong political willpower coming out of Moscow today to claim historical background to various things that are simply not supported by what we know. Granted, professor Plokhy is Ukrainian but I found the book to present an objective story rather than a Ukrainian version of it. So, is Ukraine a part of Russia that got lost? No. Is Russia the true descendant from Kiev-Rus? No. Are Ukraine? No. Then who are these people? The Book gives us an important part of the answer but not the full answer. Review: Excellent - The reviews were accurate. ## Features - Item Trademark: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS - manufacturer: Cambridge University Press - Item Weight: grams, pounds, 1.30072734580, 590. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #240,267 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2,668 in History of Europe #21,833 in Reference | | Customer Reviews | 4.9 out of 5 stars 45 Reviews | ## Images ![Cambridge University Press The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71UugJB57fL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐ Importat, timely but not an easy read *by S***4 on 10 March 2015* The Title of this book makes it highly important to read today against the background of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. Who are the Russians, Ukrainian and the Belarussians? The Subtitle tells us that this question will be answered from the perspective of what they themselves thought they were and not from any other standpoint. This is not a popular history book. It is not "fun" to read. It is pure work. Professor Serheii Plokhy are writing for serious students and academics and in order to fully appreciate the book it helps a lot if you know Russian and have a very good knowledge of East European geography. This is not a book you start with if your interest is Slavic history. The Book starts with the Kiev Rus state a thousand years ago. This is a problem since we know that the Slavs living in todays western Russia, Belarus and Ukraine arrived there at least 500 years earlier. The Whole platform for a discussion of who they are leaves out where they came from and if all of them came from the same place. There are some references to mythology but nothing at all about archeology or DNA research. There is no answer to the question if all Slavs have the same origin. The Book then continues to present seven hundred years (the book ends more or less in the early 1700-hundreds) of Slavic religious, political and ethnological discussion on the subject on what to call themselves. Russian, Ukrainian, Rus, White Rus, Ruthenian etc. Professor Plokhy takes us through a large amount of books, documents and letters between various historical figures as well as what other researchers have found out. All of these discussions are supported with a general outline of the history of these territories. There are also some maps that are of great help but as always you need more of them. It is a complicated history and there are a number of problems in the text that makes it a challenge to take in. There are a lot of different Slavic tribes in the text without any explanation who they were. There are important people with titles that are very hard to understand since they are not explained. Is it a bishop in todays language or a librarian? Even more problematic is the use of Russian words to explain or clarify something without translating these words. The Book only has two index. One over authors and one "General". What would have helped and made the book easier to take in are several more like: - an index over all Slavic tribes with information who they were and were they lived - a Russian vocabulary for those words used in the text - a timeline for the history of these areas since in some chapters the presentation jumps back and forward between centuries - more maps to sort out what the text presents. What goes through your mind reading the book is the question if it really is only what is in the minds of people that defines if they are Russian, Ukrainian or Belarussian? There is nothing on archeology and there is nothing on language. Did all the Slavs speak the same language 1500 years ago? Today we know that there is a big difference between Russian and Ukrainian (try Google translate and see the difference) but what was the case in 1500? The Book focuses on who is a Russian. Only in the last fifty pages are there any discussion on who is Ukrainian. There is almost nothing in the book about Belarus except that armies fought there. In fact, there is so little on Belarus that the word Belarus should be stricken from the subtitle of the book. What is important and well presented in the book is the tremendous importance of the Orthodox Church. Up until Peter the Great the willpower of the Orthodox Church was one of the most important factors in the Slavic history. When you read about the Orthodox Church and read todays news there are a lot of similarities. Having read the book you will get a clearer picture of what makes these people think and behave today. The Similarity of the problems 3-500 years ago and today are striking. You will recognize a lot of political statements and propaganda that are being said and used today as based on (or not on) their previous history. This is very important since there is a very strong political willpower coming out of Moscow today to claim historical background to various things that are simply not supported by what we know. Granted, professor Plokhy is Ukrainian but I found the book to present an objective story rather than a Ukrainian version of it. So, is Ukraine a part of Russia that got lost? No. Is Russia the true descendant from Kiev-Rus? No. Are Ukraine? No. Then who are these people? The Book gives us an important part of the answer but not the full answer. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent *by S***N on 9 January 2025* The reviews were accurate. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enlightening but a heavy-duty read *by A***R on 20 September 2020* The book is very academic. Very well written, demands your attention. I learned a lot. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus - The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine - The Cossack Myth: History and Nationhood in the Age of Empires (New Studies in European History) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/410529940-cambridge-university-press-the-origins-of-the-slavic-nations-premodern](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/410529940-cambridge-university-press-the-origins-of-the-slavic-nations-premodern) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-10-21*