ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Transforming Academic Communication in Eighteenth-Century Russia: A Study of the Academy’s Journal

• In Event: Building Disciplines

English Abstract

This talk presents work in progress on a comprehensive analysis of Series 1–4 of the Journal of the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1728–1806), examined as a central instrument in the formation of academic communication in eighteenth-century Russia. The project is situated within the framework of historical epistemology and approaches the journal as evidence of the broader transition from the “Republic of Letters,” based on personal correspondence, to the emerging system of professional scientific periodicals.
At the current stage, the research focuses on building the qualitative foundations required to conduct a systematic quantitative study. This includes developing a detailed catalogue of authors, thematic areas, citation practices, and references to Russian and European scholars. The qualitative analysis aims to establish the conceptual and methodological structure needed for later quantitative work involving citation dynamics, authorship ratios, and the comparative positioning of the journal within the European scientific landscape.
Drawing on the ideas of Derek de Solla Price, Peter Galison, and Harry Collins, the study aims to reconstruct the key “nodes” and trading zones of scholarly interaction. Although quantitative results are forthcoming, the ongoing qualitative work already illuminates the journal’s role as both a medium and a model of scholarly exchange.
Ultimately, the project seeks to reconstruct a coherent model of academic communication in eighteenth-century Russia and to clarify how the journal mediated knowledge flows between Russian and European scientific communities.

Author

• Tatiana Sokolova