About the Library
The Library page is a repository of primary sources from eastern Europe, western Asia and the Caucasus. These regions have had ongoing contact throughout history, whether through imperial, social, and economic connections, or transport routes via the steppes and the Mediterranean and Black seas. The grouping of these sources goes beyond national bounds, but by making them available here we encourage the study of nation- and state-building. We are also interested in artistic similarities that may emerge through the sharing of stories across cultures.
Our interest is in folk stories and national poetry – the narratives that shaped national identities in this region.
Many of these stories have undocumented origins, but were recorded in the 19th century. In the 20th century, the (sometimes contentious) relationship between cultural nationalism and state building is highlighted by the formation of multi-national states including the USSR and Yugoslavia. The emergence of video sources in the mid-20th century adds an exciting new layer to this discourse, and implicates the US as an influence in the reproduction of folk stories in our target region. To learn more, visit [link: Video Sources].
Why?
Many of the sources featured here are already available in the creative commons or public domain. We offer our gratitude to existing projects like Project Gutenberg! But, what are the benefits of this website?
Presenting the sources in this format
- Encourages comparative analysis by grouping primary sources from different regions in the same library
- Facilitates the use of assistive technology where PDFs, EPUBs, or other formats may prove problematic, by offering searchable, selectable text for each source
- Displays the original language with an English translation side-by-side
- Includes visual media for reader engagement or use in presentations and other projects
Areas for growth
This website can continue to grow! We plan for the addition of sources and are open to expanding to different regions. Sources in the Library are also cited in the blog posts in the Analysis tab – new connections can be made continuously.
As more sources are uploaded, we anticipate the development of a more robust database and tagging system.